From Radio New Zealand:

“The country has posted a record annual trade surplus as Covid-19 led to a sharp fall in imports.

“Official numbers show a surplus of $3.26 billion for the year ended November, the biggest since records began in 1960.

“The surplus was driven by a 12 percent slump in imports during the period, notably in fuel and cars.”

Exports are doing fine and dandy:

“Exports have been sustained by demand for dairy, meat and other primary produce, as well as more unusual items such as breathing apparatus.

“For the month of November, there was a surplus $252m - the first for a November in seven years. Normally there would be a deficit as pre-Christmas import demand would be at its highest.”

So, what ARE people saying about this:

“…Keall said in time the surplus would fall and overseas trade would return to something approaching normal patterns.”

Here are some possible things that ASB economist Nat Keall COULD have said, or COULD have been asked by the journalist but WEREN’T:

• “Did we really need those car imports anyway? Blooming heck, we have a stupid number of cars already, nearly four million for a population of less than five million.”

• “Why should we passively let trade return to ‘normal patterns’? Who gains by doing so?”

• “When business as normal means ongoing extreme violation of the planet’s ecosystems, why would this be a desired outcome?”

• “What is the relationship between this huge trade surplus and non-tourism employment? Did people lose jobs related to this trade surplus? Yes? No? At the ports? Somewhere else?”

• “Why is no-one asking proper questions like these?”

The blithe lack of depth and sucking up to the status quo in this kind of article annoys the heck out of me.

Maybe you noticed.

[Photo: RNZ/Sally Round]