All Episodes

June 30, 2022 3 mins
“Politicians have sucked the life out of young New Zealanders” this according to a very good opinion piece in the Herald yesterday by University Macro Economics professor Robert McCulloch.
He makes the point that even though students and staff returned to campus post lockdowns, “students are reluctant to physically attend class.” He says it’s because ‘they can’t see a future, their mojo and buzz are gone’, and that ‘despondency rules.’ 
How depressing is that? The thing is, he’s not wrong. He cites students who’ve told him they’ll leave as soon as they graduate for international jobs with higher pay and lower living costs, students who say they feel like their entire course has been done on Zoom.
McCulloch argues the Government took away their dreams by sucking the air out of them, they’re lonely – he cites a NZ study showing:
“Loneliness is highest among people aged 15-24. Teen suicide rates are among the worst in the OECD. 
Cognitive skills at age 15 are in decline. Levels of school attendance are declining and particularly low among those in more deprived areas. We have the highest rate of bullying in the OECD.
“People aged under 25 are least likely to report life is worthwhile and less likely to vote than young people in other OECD countries".
As he says, “so much for the "well-being budgets".
He also points out how the Prime Minister, once a luvvie of the younger cohort, has lost the room. “National now polls better than Labour for voters under 40.” 
McCulloch reckons it’s a variety of factors contributing to this.lockdowns to protect the elderly, and “the Reserve Bank’s money printing programme which favoured asset-rich”. But I think the best point he makes is that “rewards for achievement don't figure in our politics. Instead, it’s dominated by talk about the evils of inequality between the top 1 per cent and bottom 1 per cent, as if the 98 per cent don't exist.” 
How true is that? So much time spent pandering to the fringes and the margins that the middle is forgotten and entirely over looked.
It’s almost as though if you dare to succeed in this country, you’ll be slapped back down before you even get started. McCulloch doesn’t think a National government will be any better by the way; his point is that youth are just so disillusioned they’ll no longer vote at all. They’re voting with their feet instead and bailing overseas. 
We know this on a personal level too. I had a nephew home from studying in the States recently, he took one look at Auckland and said nope, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever live in New Zealand again. Out of our 5 kids, 4 of them are out of school and at University age, one bailed overseas straight away, unlikely to ever be back, two others are about to leave. That’s 3 out of 4 saying to NZ, no thanks.
So in locking our country up and shutting it down for two years, and only making life harder for people, what have we done to our young people, who by the way are the future. They’re despondent, disillusioned and wanting to bail, how's that good for NZ?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.