From: jrdodd@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: soc.culture.new-zealand
Subject: Re: NZ National Debt
Date: 6 Nov 92 16:17:17 +1300
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <Bx8yAu.L3y@rice.edu>, byrd@lucerne.rice.edu (Marc J Byrd) writes:
> I recently met someone here in Texas who said he was here because
> of the New Zealand national debt.  
> 
> Could someone give me particulars on this?
>   Total debt
>   Total GNP
>   Total Assets (doesn't include GNP)
>   Population
> 
> Also, would someone care to comment on your health care system?
>   
> 
> -- 
> Marc J. Byrd - byrd@rice.edu       |  United We Stand. 
> Rice University                    |  Whether or not you accept it, you are 
> Dept of Elec & Comp Engr           |  responsible for the actions and 
> XUV Holographic Microscope Project |  inactions of your government. 

Here's a bunch of information I've got,  the latest figures being 1990.
If otherwise I'll mention it.

Real growth - just under 2%.

Inflation - 8% (nowadays around 2%)

Unemployment (official) - 8% (nowadays around 13%)

Debts - % of GDP (GNP):
Total Public - 65%
Public Overseas - 32%
Public Domestic - 35%
Long term overseas - 40%

Our exchange rate is on a small high of about 56cUS

Population around 3,200,000

The health system is predominantly a state-run,  tax-payer funded one,
capable of brilliant personal service and respectable conditions.

Any problems of the past have been largely due to lack of funding - i.e
long waiting lists for 'elective' or 'non life-threatening' conditions;
also over-worked, underpaid staff,  and the all too common need for people
to resort to community fund-raising so as to go overseas for certain 
operations.

Partially as a result,  NZ has one of the highest per capita memberships
of private hospital insurance,  but nowhere near the US condition.

Recently a govt group went to the states to check out what competition does
to hospitals,  discovering that rather than cost cutting, the hospitals
become obscenely luxurious and more expensive and wasteful.

Still,  the govt didn't listen (do they ever) and now the country is split
into smaller areas,  each with it's own hospital board that is responsible
for allocating govt funding.  I.e. every cent has to be accounted for.  Where
the govt is saving money here it's ending up spending elsewhere - e.g. 
unemployment benefits and all the other social problems associated with them.

This shouldn't really sound too depressing,  although it certainly is for
many people.  The crux of the matter now is if you need a hip replacement
you'll spend a year in a wheelchair before it's done by public hospital,
but if you need emergency surgery or extensive cancer treatment etc, you'll
be treated really well. the doctors haven't changed or gotten nasty,  just
the govt.

Also,  50 years of free treatment and subsidised doctor checks,  prescriptions
etc came to an end last year.  Now one has one's income checked,  kiwis
who are 'poor' getting a dinky card entitling them to free health care.
If you earn over about $32,000 pa,  regardless of family commitments etc,
you have to pay $50 per night for the first 5 nights in hospital you have
each year.

New Zealand's hit the 1990's,  and doesn't like it very much.

Jonathan.