Barry Soper: Steven Joyce needs to change the record

As much as Steven Joyce would like the LP vinyl to stay on track, the stylus should be screeching in his ear.

COMMENT

It's an oldie but it's true. When have you ever heard anyone on their death bed saying they'd wish they'd spent more time at the office?

But the fact is in this country we're spending too much time in the office and not producing anywhere near as much as we could be, something that those who're pulling the purse strings tend to gloss over.

Our new Finance Minister Steven Joyce was smiling from ear to ear at a briefing for the media on the latest view of the New Zealand economy by what's known as the rich man's club, the OECD, so named because it comprises 34 of the world's wealthiest nations, although the continued membership some of those, like Greece and Turkey, wouldn't qualify.

The club's view that God's Own is a blessed country, outperforming most other members when it comes to our standard of living, across health, education and the environment is the sort of stuff Joyce has been basking in.

It's 99 days until the election and it's the sort of news that's music to the ears of National's campaign manager.

But as much as Joyce would like the LP vinyl to stay playing on the turnstile, without changing the track until polling day, the reality is the stylus should be screeching in his ear, cutting a sideways groove.

It's true the economy is currently in some areas performing better than most but the OECD report card identifies a number of areas for improvement. Like adapting the workforce to better cope with the changing world.

There's a weakness in mathematics teaching for example which, the report card says, precludes access to some higher skilled fields and are now needed in this economy.

The Government's recent tinkering with superannuation's also been noted.

It may have been seen to have been doing something, which it's become very good at, but in reality they'll be well out of office by the time the pension age starts increasing in 20 years time to take it to 67 by 2040.

The report says bring forward the phase-in period and lengthen the transition to soften the blow.

The most significant area the Beehive should be sitting up and taking notice of though is New Zealand's woeful productivity.

For the amount of time we spend in the office, or at the pitface, with most of us working more than 40 hours a week and with more than 11 per cent clocking up more than 50 hours a week, we're well below the club's productivity average, even bettered by Greece and well behind Australia.

So left unchecked, we'll have an exhausted workforce beavering away but producing little of value.

Surely that should be enough to have Steven Joyce change the record.