While it’s frustrating that Page seems to have ‘skipped the queue’ and it is important for us to talk about whether or not we are comfortable with that being part of the system, it’s worth keeping in mind that the investor category Page applied for has a NZ$10M price tag.
An investment of 10 million dollars in the country is significant, and most people would agree that having these options in place is beneficial for the country. Again however, the debate is warranted. What impact does it have on our culture to allow investors to use New Zealand as a contingency plan? There’s no real right answer to questions like this, but it pays to have the conversation.
It’s also worth noting that the money isn’t the only Philippines Photo Editor investment that Page will make in our country. When world-leading businesspeople decide to put down roots here, they’re also liable to bring work with them, and this has other beneficial knock-on effects, such as creating jobs.
With the renewed concern around climate change sparked by the recent IPCC report, it’s clear that every country on earth will need to adapt in radical ways, and New Zealand is no exception. Our future is garaunteed to include more droughts, more flooding, and a neccessary shift away from intensive dairy farming.
In light of this context, we should consider taking all the help we can get! Rewiring an economy isn’t easy, and no one is going to enjoy it, but given the recent investments made in New Zealand by figures like Larry Page, we may be able to leverage their resources to make radical changes like this. At the very least, it’s a hell of a vote of confidence.