Places

Date: 2010

From: Hubbard, James, 1949-: Digital caricatures and cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0014897

Description: The cartoon shows Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee with his mouth open showing two teeth, one labeled 'credibility' and the other 'gap'. Text above reads 'Tasman wage gap $40 wider despite Brownlee's denials...news'. Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee has claimed the gap in average wages is now less than it was when Labour left office in November 2008. However, a comparison of average weekly earnings in November 2008 and February this year shows New Zealand wages grew by 5.2 per cent over that period while Australia's grew by 6.7 per cent. The wage gap between New Zealand and Australian workers has widened by $40 to $580 a week since National came to power in late 2008 promising to address the income gap. (Stuff) Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2011

From: Winter, Mark, 1958- : Digital cartoons published in the Southland Times and other papers

Reference: DCDL-0017519

Description: Text reads 'Finance Minister says low wages in NZ are "a way of competing with Australia"'. Below, a kangaroo in Australia holds a big bag of money and faces off against a kiwi in New Zealand who holds a much smaller bag of money. Further text reads 'DUEL ECONOMY Presenting pay packets at 5,369,137 paces'. Context - Finance Minister Bill English has come under fire for saying low wages in New Zealand help it compete with neighbouring Australia. Bill English said that 'New Zealand wages are 30 per cent below Australia's giving us an 'advantage'. Labour leader Phil Goff commented "This from a Government which campaigned at the last election on closing the gap with Australia". There is a wordplay on the word 'duel' meaning 'fight' or 'competition' and 'dual meaning 'two'. Two versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2010

From: Fletcher, David, 1952- :Digital cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0015903

Description: 'The Politician' cartoon strip. The politician tells a barrage of reporters that 'all this dissatisfaction with pay rates must end!' He adds 'I don't get paid enough to put up with all this aggravation!' Refers to the current sluggish economic climate and the criticism of New Zealand payrates compared with those of Australia. A second Taskforce 2025 report states that the paygap between NZ and Australia on current policy settings would increase to 42% - the first report put the pay gap at 32%. MPs are due to get a 10% payrise. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2011

From: Clark, Laurence, 1949- :Digital cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0017545

Description: A man wheeling his supermarket trolley chats with the woman at check-out; he says 'Bill English says a low-wage economy will make us more competitive' and the woman replies 'Yeah, I can just see the employment ads, "On special this week! Two jobs for the price of one". Context - Bill English has said that low wages in New Zealand help it compete with neighbouring Australia. Bill English said that 'New Zealand wages are 30 per cent below Australia's giving us an 'advantage'. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2010

From: Evans, Malcolm Paul, 1945- :Digital cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0016106

Description: A Kiwi (NZ Rugby League team) leaps with joy holding the World Cup in one hand and the '4 Nations' cup in the other. Text reads 'Closing the gap' and a huge Australian Rugby League player (Kangaroos) wearing a 'VB' (Victoria Bitter) shirt has his mouth taped up 'closing the gap'. Refers to the win by the Kiwis of the 'Four Nations' giving them the World Cup Rugby League title with a thrilling last-gasp 16-12 win over Australia in Brisbane. Economically speaking, however, 'closing the gap' refers to John Key's stated desire to close the economic gap between Australia and New Zealand. The '2025 Taskforce' was set up by the New Zealand government after the 2008 election to recommend how the gap between average incomes in Australia and New Zealand could be closed. Incomes of New Zealanders have generally risen less rapidly than those of Australians over the last 40 years, resulting in a gap between average incomes of around 35 percent in recent years. After the 2008 election, the NZ government committed to closing this income gap by 2025. Since the Taskforce presented its first report last year, Philip McCann - an economist with expertise in economic geography - has advanced the view that New Zealand's geographical disadvantages prevent it from becoming a high productivity economy. McCann has implied that structural features that are advantageous in the current era of globalization differ so much from those exhibited by New Zealand that this economy could not reasonably be expected to have relatively high productivity. Both colour and black and white versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2011

From: Fletcher, David, 1952- :Digital cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0017540

Description: 'The Politician' cartoon strip. The Minister tells a reporter 'the country's low wage rates will attract overseas businesses! I've already had inquiries from several sweat shops'. Context - Bill English has said that low wages in New Zealand help it compete with neighbouring Australia. Bill English said that 'New Zealand wages are 30 per cent below Australia's giving us an 'advantage'. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2011

From: Hubbard, James, 1949-: Digital caricatures and cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0017533

Description: The cartoon shows Finance Minister Bill English standing on a turnscrew that represents 'NZ wages'; he yells 'Where the bloody hell are ya?!' as the screw is turned by two convicts chained to the handles. Nearby is a newspaper which reads 'Low wages a way of competing with Aus.' Context - Finance Minister Bill English screws the workers; he has come under fire for saying low wages in New Zealand help it compete with neighbouring Australia. Bill English said that 'New Zealand wages are 30 per cent below Australia's giving us an 'advantage'. Labour leader Phil Goff commented "This from a Government which campaigned at the last election on closing the gap with Australia". Two versions of this cartoon are available Quantity: 2 digital cartoon(s).

Date: 2010

From: Bromhead, Peter, 1933- :Digital cartoons

Reference: DCDL-0014917

Description: The cartoon shows a man walking across a bridge from New Zealand to Australia; the bridge is an airline ticket. Text above reads 'How to close the wages gap between NZ and Oz'. Suggests that the best way to close the wages gap between New Zealand and Australia is for New Zealanders to move there. The Dominion Post newspaper reported that while Economic Development Minister, Gerry Brownlee, was saying the wage gap had reduced since his party came into office, figures it obtained comparing average weekly earnings in November 2008 and February this year (2010) showed New Zealand wages grew by 5.2 per cent compared to 6.17 per cent for Australia. Australia's ordinary average wage rose from A$1165 to A$1243 ($1433 to $1529) while New Zealand's went from $891 to $947. One of John Key's election promises was to 'close the gap'. Quantity: 1 digital cartoon(s).