Finacnce Minister Michael Cullen was yesterday rehashing a former Labour Party goal to lift New Zealand into the top half of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in terms of per capital GDP.
"It is also to ensure New Zealand is in the top half of the OECD in terms of social and environmental measures," he said.
Dr Cullen is running out of time, as lifting New Zealand back into the top half of the OECD within 10 years was something Labour promised back in November 2001, according to a search of Hansard and Otago Daily Times records yesterday.
Former National Party leader Don Brash questioned Prime Minister Helen Clark in 2006 on the issue.
Dr Brash asked whether it was still Miss Clark's aim to return New Zealand to the top half of the OECD ratings by 2011.
Miss Clark replied that the statement was first raised by the previous leader of the opposition [Bill English] in 2003, at which point it was made clear that that target date was not Government policy.
Dr Brash asked whether Miss Clark remembered setting the target in the 1999 speech from the throne.
"I am certainly not aware that a 10-year date was set in the speech from the throne in 1999. Given that the member is so interested in the OECD, perhaps he should accept what the OECD actually said, which is that for New Zealand, increases in real GDP per person have outpaced the OECD 10-year moving average since 2000."
But Miss Clark wrote in the forward to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, for New Zealand 2001: "We are one of the five most entrepreneurial countries in the world, with a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity than the world's leading knowledge economy, the US, the world's highest rate of senior entrepreneurship, and the highest rate of female entrepreneurship.
"These results are greatly encouraging for our goal of economic transformation and a return to the top half of the OECD ratings by 2011."
During the past three years, New Zealand has fallen two places in the OECD and is ranked 22nd out of 30 member countries.
Dr Cullen yesterday released Labour's economic policies, which he said would promote economic growth and would deliver a fair share of that growth to all New Zealanders.
Among the policies Labour would use to lift New Zealand into the top half of the OECD were:
• Lifting the skills of New Zealanders;
• Maintaining a 20-year plan for sustainable infrastructure development;
• Creation of an electrified rail network for Auckland;
• Working with exporters to lift exports to 40% of GDP by 2020 and by 50% by 2030;
• Adjusting the minimum wage during the next term of government.
