It occurs to me that there is a lot happening in the world as people go away from globalisation and back to identifying with their own continent and ethnicity. Is it the Brexit and Trumpet effect?

Everywhere in New Zealand there seems to be this Kiwi disconnect between reality and what is happening. Examples could include:

• Friends who are building a new home on a very economic kiwifruit and avocado block only to be told they have to demolish the existing, sound four-bedroom home already on the property.
• You build a new house with a basement. Highly suitable for a lodger/boarder or homestay only to be told by council: “You can’t do that!” I thought we were short of accommodation here in paradise?
• Then Waikato Regional Council put all these restrictions on farmers around nitrogen and effluent levels polluting the Waikato only to find there is a lot of effluent coming from Hamilton City “but that doesn’t count!” How is that?
• Gorse, broom and privet are spreading like wildfire. Where are the weed inspectors we used to have?
• We live in the shaky isles but we still do not have a tsunami warning system in place and have to watch public servants justifying themselves as to why we still do not have any warning system in place – and it is 18 months away.
• We know we used to “skim” the dairy high payout years to plug the lows. Why, oh why could they have not skimmed the $8 payout year and plugged the following season?
• We all know the Resource Management Act has its good points, but by and large it is costing us all a fortune and slowing every due process to progress. Why do we still have to put up with it? It is going to be interesting to see how quickly they can get State highway 1 through Kaikoura.
• Financial literacy and understanding is paramount in our success or failure in life and it is still not being taught in schools.
• We need trades people like there is no tomorrow but we still steer our students towards a university qualification. Where is the disconnect?
• Our school children should walk, cycle or run to school rather than being driven. And, yes I appreciate there are stranger danger issues but there are walking buses and cycle groups.
• The roads are gridlocked in the morning and afternoon around school start and finish. Why can’t we make it better?

Now it may sound like I am an “old fart” which I am, but I feel there is increasing disconnect between reality and what is really happening or what we are being told.

Life is not easy and we all find that out quickly enough, but if things were a bit more “connected” and people stopped avoiding and or ignoring the reality, life could get a whole lot better, happier and profitable.

We know there will be more earthquakes and we build multi-storey buildings on fault lines on The Terrace in Wellington and so on. Why do we not build away from those faults and construct lower buildings?

So, in summary, the Kiwi disconnect seems to be taking us away from reality and seem to forget what is important. Maybe we need to focus down and remind ourselves of the fundamentals of life and the economy and get back to basics.

Disclaimer – These are the opinions of Don Fraser of Fraser Farm Finance. Any decisions made should not be based on this article alone and appropriate professional assistance should be sought.

Don Fraser is the principal of Fraser Farm Finance and a consultant to the farming industry. Contact him on 0800 777 675 or 021 777 675. A disclosure document is available on request.