Guppy/Wally,
What ever happened to the smaller regional services that flew short commuter routes, such as the Aeropelican Twotter runs to Sydney, as well as the plethora of Shorts 360 and even Chieftain routes that used to criss-cross the countryside? I understand Pelican was profitable when it was shut down. Has over-regulation killed these off?
Guppy, I don't agree that a large percentage of our youth aspire to join the dole queues. I think that the opportunities that were once available for the rest of us are rapidly disapearing, and further education through university or apprenticeship is for many not a viable option. This is due, again, to ridiculous over-regulation, extraordinarily low wages (unlivable without parental support, if you've even got that) at junior levels and little long-term return to justify training costs. Aviation might be at the cutting edge of employee exploitation, but it certainly doesn't have a monopoly.
A friend of mine is a very senior outsource consultant. She advises companies who want access to the Australian market, combined with western product quality and reasonable operating costs, to set up in NZ. Only one level of government to deal with, and predictable regulatory costs.Offshoring a business from Australia to NZ is apparently on par with outsourcing to India, but far more acceptable to customers. Politicians can blame unions and lazy youth all they like, but it is multi-layered, constantly shifting regulation that is deterring business investment in this country.