Rt Hon Jenny Shipley
Leader of the Opposition

Monday 9 October, 2000

The Government must come out of denial and admit it is part of the problem, Opposition Leader Jenny Shipley said today.

"I hope the Government listens to John Carr's full-page advertisement in the Herald today, instead of dumping on it as it has done with other messages it doesn't like.

"Instead the Government must recognise that its own policies and attitudes have contributed to the problem. It should respond by putting together an action programme to turn the country around and halt the feeling of drift.

"This expatriate New Zealander is raising legitimate concerns which a lot of New Zealanders are thinking about.

"These are difficult times in which the Government should be showing some leadership, instead of abusing people," Mrs Shipley said.

The Government should be leading the way. Petty bickering and politicking do not improve relations with the international investment community. Capital is mobile. Money doesn't have to stay in New Zealand; it can find a home in many other economies. And it is doing that right now. John M Carr, Open letter to Helen Clark New Zealand Herald, Monday 9 October 2000

"These are the sort of concerns I've been picking up around New Zealand for some time.

"As John Carr says, the Government needs to change its attitude if it wants to see a real turnaround in confidence. There's no sign yet that it is willing to do that," Mrs Shipley said.

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