Category Archives: Resources

Auckland should issue its own currency

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Issue an Auckland currency, says new party

 Tuesday, 14 February 12

Auckland should be thinking of a regional currency, redeemable for rates fees and fees to fund part of their new transport infrastructure, according to the New Economics Party.

Spokesperson Deirdre Kent said it was ridiculous to see politicians argue about how they could scrape up more national dollars when they could be creating their own rates vouchers and setting them into circulation.

An Auckland currency could be the answer to a lot of their funding problems. A proportion of all labour could be paid in these rates vouchers. All their rail fares and local goods could be paid in Auckland dollars.

“It is time to think outside the square. Aside from the question of whether all the roading projects will end up being white elephants as oil becomes dearer and dearer, the regional currency idea should be put at the top of the list of the 14 options now on the table,” said Ms Kent.

“Digital currencies using all the best technologies are ideal for the job because you can build in a circulation incentive to ensure they move faster than the national currency. And mobile phones can be used. It is ridiculous that Aucklanders should be using precious national dollars to trade for labour and for in goods made in Auckland.”

For more comment phone Deirdre Kent 06 364 7779 or 021 728 852

 

 

 

Asset Sales or River Sales?

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Asset sales are really river sales

25 November 2011

If asset sales go ahead then we will lose control over our big rivers, according to Laurence Boomert, Wellington Central candidate for the New Economics Party.

“Not only is it bordering on treason to sell our precious assets, but there are rivers like the Waikato and the Waitaki involved too.

“There is a link between asset sales of our major generation companies and the risk of associated loss of public control of our rivers with that transaction. These are our sacred rivers, our taonga and are the source of much life. They are not a commodity to be bought and sold.”
“These publicly-owned energy companies have a very big influence on our hydro river catchments. On the Waitaki River, for example, Mighty River Power has legal claim over waters, they own big tracts of land, can have interests in irrigation supply networks and can secure “requiring authority” to purchase land that they need for their schemes.”  Selling 49% of Meridian means selling 49% of the Waitaki River. We don’t want the water to be sold.

“We don’t think that the majority of New Zealanders have made these crucial connections and therefore risk making under-informed decisions on Saturday’s election.”

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

Financial Transaction tax needed to stop obscene bank profits

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Financial Transaction tax needed to stop obscene bank profits

 24 November 2011

“The ridiculously high profits announced by ANZ shows we are overdue in imposing a financial transaction tax”, according to Laurence Boomert, New Economics Party candidate for Wellington Central.

ANZ announced record profits recently despite difficult economic conditions.

“Every bank these days deals in derivatives and these trades are high volume and fast turnover. A small financial transaction tax should be imposed on every transaction,” said Boomert.

“ANZ’s website shows exotic financial instruments like spot minors and forward majors but few people understands their complications”, said Boomert.  “Banks are gamblers these days not innocent intermediaries between lender and borrower, especially since the removal of the firewalls that protected the savings and loans sides of their business from their rampant speculations.”

The Pacific Financial Derivatives page on Facebook tells you that retail Forex accounts can now be opened with a large or small deposit and leverage of 1 to 100 is allowed in most cases. “If this isn’t gambling then I don’t know what is”, said Boomert.

“The problem is that as banks indulge in reckless speculation and suck out their undeserved profits the real economy of production and labour is endangered”

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807 E: laurenceboomert@xtra.co.nz

 

Growing Inequality Caused by the Money System

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Media Statement 23 November 2011

Growing Inequality Due to Money System

To narrow the gap between rich and poor we need to change the money system, according to the New Economics Party candidate for Wellington Central.

“If children are going hungry and poverty is increasing then it is time to consider that there might be something structurally wrong. There it is – it’s the way we create money.  It is created every time a bank makes a loan and they create the principle but not the interest. There isn’t enough money in the system for everyone to pay off their debts at the same time.”

“Each round someone loses. The ones that miss out have to go to the bank for another loan. There are always winners and losers. We won’t close the gap until we change the money system.”

“The system is dog eat dog and the poor end up net borrowers while the rich are net lenders,” he said.

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

 

PM should stop protecting Banks

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PM has to stop protecting Banks, says candidate

 Friday, 18 November 11

 

John Key should stop protecting Banks, according to the New Economics Party candidate, Laurence Boomert.

“More important than the teaparty scandal is the austerity measures that National will be implementing as our debt crisis lands next year. ACT of course, even if they don’t get into Parliament, will be prodding them for more heartless cuts to government spending.”

“Our country is going down the same path as Greece. There has been more borrowing under National than ever before and if nothing changes we will, like Greece, be reduced to being slaves of the banks.”

“Banks have benefited from a usury-based money system which can only increase debt exponentially. Banks create credit and then charge interest on the debt so the debt has to increase. And of course recently since the carry trade it has all escalated to grotesque proportions.

“Globally we are in a right pickle now. We have to realise the ‘Age of Usury’ is coming to an end. Attempts to rescue indebted country with more debt will only delay the day of reckoning”.

“The banks got us into all this mess and our Governments have been silent allies. When the people finally wake up to it all and start disbelieving experts like Don Brash and the IMF, we will finally get an economic system that doesn’t collapse. ”

 

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

http://neweconomics.net.nz

 

 

Change the Money System to combat climate change

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Tuesday, 15 November 11

The New Economics Party candidate for Wellington Central, Laurence Boomert, said that along with other policies, redesigning the money system would be a powerful way of combating climate change.

Reacting to a recent International Energy Agency report which said ‘on planned policies, rising fossil energy use will lead to irreversible and potentially catastrophic climate change’, he said that all international climate change conferences had broken up because governments were scared economic growth would falter.

“So we need an economic system which doesn’t require incessant growth on a finite planet. It is time we asked the right question. The force that requires us to gobble up more and more of the planet and turn it into goods is a structurally unsound money system and it needs to change”, he said.

“We design our money as interest bearing debt money. This type of money requires economic growth or the whole house of cards will collapse, as it is doing in Europe right now”, he said.

The IEA report said emissions globally jumped 5.3% in 2010 he said and on current path we are all committing mass suicide.

He said the New Economics Party would introduce a carbon tax on coal, oil and gas at source and not wait till it is burnt into the atmosphere. “The potential buyers of Solid Energy would have to be frightened if our party was in power.”

 “We would limit expansion of airports, impose an aviation fuel tax, and reduce our oil country’s imports by 4-6% a year. Motorway building would cease overnight and we would only focus on improving our current roads and the coal would remain in the hole.”

 

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

 

 

 

 

Laurence has put up billboards in Wellington

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Alex Greig, Laurence's campaign manager with one of the billboards

The Sky is really Falling, says candidate

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Media Statement

11 November 11

The Sky is Really Falling, says candidate

The sky is falling and nobody is planning for what New Zealand would do in the case of a full economic meltdown, said Laurence Boomert, Wellington Central candidate for the New Economics Party.

“Here we have Italy now in deep trouble, and the New Zealand politicians are blithely promising bright and happy days”, he said. “There isn’t a country in the world that will be untouched by this debt crisis. Next it will be Spain, France and USA. Because we are all tightly linked, what happens overseas is very much our election issue,” he said.

“It is time to think outside the square and work to invent an economic system not dependent on  growth. If it wants to create jobs, Government needs to focus on supporting small and medium sized businesses that want to introduce healthy innovations. Small and medium sized businesses create most of the jobs not the Telecoms of the world”, he said.

Boomert said it is time to work on alternative complementary currencies that work at all levels including at a national level. When small businesses join barter networks, Government should allow their GST and income tax to be paid in their currency.

He said government should be actively involved to support our business sector in designing and implementing business-to-business currencies such as ones operating in Uruguay, Switzerland and Austria.

For further comment phone Laurence Boomert 027 258 8807

 

Plan for 4-6% less oil every year

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Media Statement

6 November, 2011

Plan for less 4-6% less oil every year, says candidate

The New Economics Party believes that Government should involve the public in planning for a 4-6% reduction in oil use every year.

Laurence Boomert, the party’s candidate for Wellington Central, says we have to do this because the alternative is growing national debt, food riots and severe recession.

“The public needs to help decide how we are to adjust to a world with less oil every year. We need to do this as the world production of oil starts to decline relentlessly. We also need to do it to address climate change. It may be the people opt for petrol rationing, a lower speed limit on the road, to introduce a ‘cash for clunkers’ scheme or to voluntarily reduce air travel, he said.

“It is going to be painful, we will all have to sacrifice, but if we go on as we are the alternative is much worse. “

Boomert said growing national debt is a big worry. The Pre-election Fiscal Update assumed the price of oil would only rise to $93 by June 2016, but Treasury must be in la-la land.

Our oil exports cost a record $7.7 billion last year, an increase of 22%. If it keeps going at this rate our annual oil import bill will cost us soar to $25 billion by 2017. This is more than double what we currently spend on education. If we don’t watch our debt we will be another Greece.

Boomert said Britain’s former chief scientist has attacked politicians and industry experts who have their “heads in the sand” over dwindling oil supplies and the same could be said for our politicians.

The longer we delay, the harder the brakes will have to be put on, he said.

 

For further information phone Laurence Boomert 03 525 8229 or 027 258 8807

Christchurch currencies needed for reconstruction

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Media Statement

4 Nov 2011

Let Christchurch City Council issue a Christchurch dollar, says candidate.

According to Laurence Boomert, Wellington Central candidate for the New Economics Party, the best thing the government could do to help Christchurch recover to allow them to create a range of interest free local currencies.

“Here we have a cost of up to $30 billion for the Christchurch rebuild. It is time to think outside the square,” said Boomert.

The Council could reduce its expenses in NZ dollars, and if local businesses play their part, then the labour part of local infrastructure repairs could easily be paid with a local currency. Boomert said there is a huge component of local labour and there should be no need to use precious national dollars for that.

CERA, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority needs to play its part. It is already empowered to override any existing legislation, so that should also be true for the legal tender law. CERA could declare the Christchurch Earthquake Dollar legal tender, and then have the City Council issue the money by spending it into circulation. He said it would involve legislating to ensure that the Christchurch dollar would be acceptable for paying rates.

It would be essential that the Chamber of Commerce and other business associations should be on board and we call on them to do so. Since local businesses are hurting as a result of the earthquake, anything that increases turnover should find their support.

Boomert said the Council could persuade locally owned businesses to accept the Christchurch Earthquake Dollar and in this way money could be kept in Christchurch.  The notes could have pictures like the old cathedral and other landmark buildings on it.

“A local currency keeps money in the area and usually circulates faster, doing more good,” said Boomert.

For further comment Laurence Boomert  03 525 8229/027 258 8807