New Zealanders getting rich from business

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Michael Hill has some important advice for New Zealanders....if you want to be successful...as I guess he thinks you ought to be, then you need to 'get out of your comfort zone'.

This is undoubtedly a problem in NZ. The country is inherently less aspirational than places like the USA, southern Britain or Australia. I do feel these places are 'the land of the free', and NZ has the sense of a retirement 'backwater'. The reality however is that NZ is among the freest countries politically in the world. Sadly this is a relativist view, and statism is a sorry legacy in all countries.

The problem for NZ is that with little population growth and the entrenched government controls means the country cannot depend on population and debt stimulus that other countries do. So either the government has to resort to winding back government or stimulating population growth. I hope the former.

What I find particularly interesting about Michael Hill is that he really only made his break from the age of 40yo. This means there is still hope for me. :) Actually, his perspective is much the same as mine, but for different reasons. According to the NZ Herald, he lost all his possessions in a fire. In my case, I had a life-changing girl friend. She was kind of the first positive person in my life. A best friend....but a kindred spirit in the sense that we were both out to make a difference. I truly believe I am on the path to success now, whereas before I was just a lot of great ideas with no execution. She most importantly changed my view of people. Before I just did not see potential in people. One of the great aspects about the internet is the ability to meet people who think as you do.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Plans for travelling to NZ in 2011

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CNN has identified NZ as the 2nd best place to be in 2011. The big reason for this might well be the relatively low NZD and the World Cup Rugby in September 2011. Mind you, travellers ought to note the high cost of travelling in NZ. For travellers, you might like to reflect upon some of the costs, which are particularly high in tourist meccas like Queenstown.

We offer you some cheaper ways to keep costs down:

1. Buying a car - You can pick up a really cheap car through Turner NZ auctions in a number of major cities. Visit their website first before you come. You can always sell the car before you leave through TradeMe. This might be harder if you have no registered address in NZ, so set up your TradeMe account before you buy. You will probably want to buy other things anyway. It makes sense to buy a car if you are here more than a month I suspect. I suggest buying a car with a 1.6-1.8L engine to reduce the cost of NZD1.98/litre petrol.

2. Rent a campervan - This spares you the expense of accommodation as well as flexibility and difficulties finding a hotel. NZ is a quiet place so its not too difficult to find a place to stay the nice. Just make sure you park where there are toilets. Campervans are cheap in NZ because there is a lot of competition. If you need to get back to an airport for a flight out, consider www.standbycars.com for a nominally priced campavan return.

3. Buy all your food in Countdown and New World supermarkets. Restrict yourself to the token coffee and muffin at cafes for a token eating out experience. Catch your own fish. Fishing licence is required in NZ.

4. Internet is really hard to get in NZ, so it might be worth getting a pre-paid USD modem for around $100. Get the right download volume to meet your needs and time constraints.

5. Cost of living is high, so consider bringing all your camping needs. There is limited competition and you might not have time to buy stuff 2nd-hand from salvation army or 2nd hand shops, or from TradeMe.co.nz.

6. NZ experiences - Consider carefully the experiences you have because anything related to tourism is overpriced because of demand. i.e. The cost of entering Rotorua hot springs are excessive, so you are better off going to Yellowstone (USA). The old reasonably priced experiences in NZ are swimming at the beach, walking bush trails and renting houses. If you do overnight trips, alpine huts can cost anything from zero to $50/night, depending on demand. This is why camping is the ultimate stop-gap.

7. Flights - The best entries into NZ are Jetstar (from Australia or Japan), Air Asia X (from March from KL) from Gold Coast or Melbourne; as these are the discount airlines. Otherwise check out the www.jetstar.com website.

The best way to enjoy NZ is to visit in the summer and stay on a 3-month lease in places like Queenstown (South Is), Te Anau (Sth), Wanganui (Nth) and Auckland (Nth). This makes maximum use of your car. You can start in the south in summer, and spend the winter in Auckland.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

Home stay in New Zealand

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One of the cheapest ways to travel around a country is by home stay. Home stay is popular for older people, couples, students, and most particularly girls, because there is some assurance of having a host to provide support. Most backpackers offer similar support, however a host offers a more homely experience, though in all probability, not the professionalism, and perhaps not all the services. You will in most respects get better services in terms of furnishings, bedding, and many hosts offer food and travel. You might find yourself becoming a member of a family.

Another benefit for guests is that you are able to ensure that the person has police clearances. Any person who reports bad service is likely to see a bad host stricken from their membership base, offering some assurance to you. I would advise anyone who wants to make payment to pay via Paypal because at least you have some recourse if they don't provide the service you require. It is common to pay a deposit before you arrive, say of $200, and then the balance upon arrival.

Personally, home stays do not always work out because there are many people who are looking for extra income. The problem is often in the form of:

1. Differing standards of cleanliness

2. Different expectations in terms of services offered, i.e. You might have expected your own bathroom, greater privacy, you might not have expected any men to be there. You might have expected wifi internet, or access to a computer.

3. Differences in terms of food style or preparation, i.e. If you host is offering food, you want to inquire as to the types of food they eat (i.e. fatty foods, takeaway or vegetarian), and whether you will be able to prepared your own.

4. Isolation from transport, i.e. You might have expected the location to be close to transport, and you might have expected more transport.

In order to avoid these problems it might be preferable if you have a trial night, but this is not always possible. It is better to simply ask questions.

For more information of home staying in any country - see the HomeStay.com website.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

One of the best NZ advertisements

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One aspect of NZ business that impresses me in NZ is the quality of the TV advertising. There is broadly a very high standard for advertising. I am reminded of a radio advertisement from my first visit to NZ. The byline was 'come and get'm before the Aussies do'. Perhaps my favourite advertisement which comes to mind is the following for NZ Post. You have to love the self-deprecating humour.

The features of this advertisement which impresses me is that I can imagine that NZ is generally a place with a lot of 'tough love', and broken relationships resonate with a lot of people. It appeals to the personal touch in writing a letter, and it highlights the fact that, in a world of emails, there is still a place for the handwritten world. Go to You Tube and see how many people this advertisement has impressed.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The opportunities in energy for NZ

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In recent months I have been writing about the prospects of NZ staging a magnificent turnaround - albeit in the next decade, perhaps longer. I have made the argument that the world is going to be looking for oil, and eventually they are going to make their way to NZ. It is not enough that they come looking here, but it will also take some time for them to find something. It is not that I know something that they don't on the exploration-side, its just a fact that NZ has vast areas of offshore basins upon which carbonate oozes can accumulation, and in which oil can develop. This article by the NZ Herald suggests that oil explorers are starting to enter the NZ market.

The other reason why this is big is the fact that NZ is such a small nation, with just 4 million people. The implication is that NZ is potentially going to be like those small European nations like Norway, which grow rich from oil. Brunei is of course another good example. It will come...though its hard to say how much oil wealth NZ possesses...there is good reason to think it will make a substantial difference to the country. It is probable it will be gas rather than oil. If I reflect upon the geological basins of the world which most resemble the NZ context, it is likely to be the North Sea (UK-Norway fields). The proof however remains in a comparison of the geology and ultimately the evidence that comes from performing exploratory geophysics and drilling. There needs to be the right rock types, sufficient accumulation, structural development, cap rocks.

The other important development in NZ is going to be the development of iron ore resources. NZ has vast iron ore sand deposits containing titanium and vanadium. These additives will prove to be high value in the context of their ready access, because they will allow the low-temperature smelting of these ores into high-strength steels. There is probably more work to perform on these ores.

The important point is that the longer NZ takes to develop these resources, the greater their worth. The market for high-strength steels is yet to really develop, and there is still plenty of oil in the Middle East, so it will be another decade before oil prices go crazy. Resource-rich countries like Russia, Australia, Venezuela and NZ will perform really well. I think its just remarkable that the world's richest nations are not doing more to avert this problem. i.e. They ought to be investing in more efficient engines. i.e. The internal combustion engine is really very inefficient. The modern fuel cell is pretty efficient, but it produces at access of heat, when in fact the world needs the more useful form of energy, electricity. The Stirling engine is a far matter design, but it suffers from the same problem.

I would not be surprised if some NZ'er or an Australian comes up with the ground-breaking technology which sees developments in this area. It will be some frustrated engineer who could not get government funding, who mortgaged their house to develop the technology, and they end up selling out for a 3% royalty. Its the Sarich engine scenario all over again.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The 'other worlders' of NZ - according to WikiLeaks

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WikiLeaks has revealed some US embassy perceptions of NZ people, describing them as 'first worlders' or 'other worlders'. Former NZ Prime Minister regards these comments as disrespectful. The reality however is that they are value judgements, and it is the role of each of us to make value judgements, and respect 'the right' of people to make them. We do not have to be defined by others judgement, and nor should we. We ought to live our lives by our own standards and values, and not substitute others values and judgement uncritically for our own.

If we are efficacious in our thinking, then we have nothing to worry or point of vulnerability. We are prepared to adjust, and we are able to anticipate. The fact is that NZ is a socialist welfare state with a small productive sector. It needs to grow the economy, so it needs to curtail that aspect of the nation which Helen Clark feels compelled to defend....welfare, intrinsic love, i.e. unconditional care for others. Those are the values which have been a disservice to NZ, and those are the values which the US Embassy detests or 'disrespects'. Of course Clark is not going to value any such judgements, because they are antithetical to her own values, as a liberal/socialist.

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

NZ Adventure tourism - a false economy?

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The title of this blog is 'living in NZ', but maybe it should be dying in NZ. No, its not a reference to the local retirement industry, or the lack of domestic activity, I mean actual dying. The local adventure sports industry ought to be doing a lot of navel-gazing at the moment because there are just too many people dying whilst doing adventure sports. Consider the recent accidents:

1. Several light planes crashing

2. Balloon accident

3. Bunge jumping death

4. Canoeing accident

5. Jet boat accident

6. Kite sailing - the latest accident

Some of these accidents were not this year, but last, but regardless, there is too many accidents. People engaging in these sports do not expect to die. Are the rates too high? I think so? Is it an acceptable risk? Well, I would suggest that is something the participant should decide. Perhaps there is a need for immediate disclosure of:

1. NZ-wide statistics on the percentage of people being injured in adventure sports

2. NZ-wide statistics on the percentage of people being injured in the specific adventure sport being attempted

3. Company-specific statistics on the percentage of people being injured in the specific adventure sport

4. Company-specific statistics on the percentage of people being injured in the specific adventure sport - this month, this year, the last 5 years

5. Identification of all the possible dangers that you could be exposing yourself to by participating in the sport. Probably the biggest is someone performing tasks they are not ready for, whether its an instructor who was out drinking last night; or an inadequately trained instructor because most want to take off and travel the world...for bigger thrills.

You might wonder whether anyone gets any business disclosing this information. They might just wonder if its worth it. If you think life is about getting such thrills, maybe you ought to be just taking heroin. They call them 'cheap thrills', I would argue that:

1. They are over-priced

2. They could cost you your life

I am fond of adventure, but I think its silly to take risks; most particularly risks you don't control. I occasionally go whitewater kayaking/canoeing, but its adventure/exploration, not cheap 'adrenalin thrills'. When I go kayaking, it is after I have slowly graduated to more difficult rapids, and also after researching and understanding rivers. I also never go beyond grade 3 rivers, even if they sometimes surprise me with grade 3.5 rapids.

I discount the value of these activities for the same reason I discount taking drugs. Its not what life is about...twitching a few neurons to fill alive for 15 - 60 seconds. NZ seems to have a penchant for dreaming up some new adventure sport. Some form of new board sport, etc. There are plenty of pipe dreamers out there. Some are little variants on old schemes. It might better be regarded as escapism by the inventor as much as the sports participant. I do not however want to discount all such sports. Sport does entail risk. Each ought to be in a position to know just how much risk they are taking.

Perhaps what this industry (kite boarding) needs is an 'air bag' device, so it they get in trouble they can release a valve and an air bubble blows up around them; so they get caught in a tree rather than killed by it. Alternatively, the sport should be conducted a certain safe distance away from trees and other obstructions.

Save yourself some money and engage in some sustainable pleasures!

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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com