And it's getting worse. Not withstanding Heinz Watties' decision to relocate some of its processing from Melbourne to Hastings the trend has been very much in the wrong direction. Goodman Feilder's decision to close down its oat mill in Gore and feed Kiwis on Australian porridge is one of the most retrograde. Even the Heinz Watties decision means that our tomato sauce will be made in Australia using tomatoes from Thailand. That example illustrates the stupidity of globalisation but also the greed that underpins it.
Capital moves to where ever production costs are cheapest.
That means looking for governments that are willing to provide incentives such as cheap labour, poor working conditions, low environmental standards and tax havens. We have no confidence that a free trade agreement with Singapore will be to New Zealand's advantage. Either the government stands for rebuilding this nation through regional development and job creation or it sides with globalisation. Its time to make the hard choices and if Labour is determined to take the globalisation path then it ought to front up to parliament and rely on National to get its way rather than resort to the Crown prerogative.