Independent Analysis and Reportage
Keynesian economics tells us that the most reliable circuit-breakers are exports and government spending. New Zealand's exports are booming, and have been for a while. But for New Zealand that's still far from enough; New Zealand needs a government spending circuit breaker as well.
I cannot imagine the age for KiwiSaver entitlement staying at 65 – what today is loosely called the 'retirement age' – while the age of pension entitlement is raised to 67 or higher. Requiring people to wait until they are 67 before they can access their retirement savings may prove to be even more unpopular than raising the pension-entitlement age.
Keith Rankin - Is it possible that an unintended consequence of moral compliance in relation to pay equity – of attempts to equalise pay by gender, within firms and other employing organisations – has been to create more young adult female NEETs? It's a hypothesis that at least deserves to be investigated further.
Keith Rankin - We can easily see that the United States 'national' debt is on an upwards, not a downwards, trajectory; the Department of War can loosen Treasury's guard-rails more easily than the Department of Health. (This is true in Germany too, with last-year's partial removal of that country's debt-brake.)
Keith Rankin - A lethal transmissible disease which is asymptomatic for six weeks, and which is infectious before symptoms occur, is one of our worst public health nightmares. The present scare should remind us of that.
Despite its minimal emphasis in the anglophile understanding of WWI, the central conflict of that war was between the German Second Reich (the Prussian Empire) and Russia (the Russian Empire). The war was started, with full intent, by the German military who were able to play the emotionally volatile Prussian Kaiser, Wilhelm II.
Keith Rankin - What would happen if the Strait of Hormuz was blocked by a giant earthquake? Then a pipe, tunnel, road or canal would have to be built. There would be no argument then about a portage fee being charged.
Keith Rankin - New Zealand is increasingly becoming a country with a high denizen-to-citizen ratio. New rules intended to make it more difficult for New Zealand permanent residents to become citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand can be expected to keep more immigrants here. That may be the intention.
Keith Rankin - Before mentioning crime, cocaine and apartheid, we should note that Sweden is a large-scale military systems exporter. For Sweden, the 'big gun' industry is equivalent to the dairy industry in New Zealand as a source of foreign exchange revenue.
New Zealand is almost completely dependent on four things for its survival in the contemporary world. Imported wheat, rice, and refined fuel. And ships.
Inflation is a topic which has, for a long time now, been at the forefront of normative economics. Normative economics is the economics of mainstream ideology, not the economics informed by concept or science.
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 17 April 2026 My first paragraphs here feature Steve Keen, Australian economist, who was a panellist on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story 12 April 2026 (Could the Iran war pose lasting risks to global food security?, or here on YouTube): Interviewer: “You’ve warned that the world could face famine within months … ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Marooned in the Pacific Ocean: Famine Down-Under?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/20/keith-rankin-analysis-marooned-in-the-pacific-ocean-famine-down-under/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Marooned in the Pacific Ocean: Famine Down-Under?">Read more</a>