Media release – for immediate release
09 October, 2000

"A positive start," is how Jordan Carter is characterising the response to a counter-campaign to the "Young New Zealanders" who placed advertisements in last week’s daily newspapers.

"As someone who doesn’t have the backing of the Business Round Table, or any other financial backers, I wanted to try and get out a message to as many people as possible without trying to pay for print ads in the papers," said Jordan Carter.

"It seems to have struck a cord. I think many people were disillusioned with Richard Poole’s campaign once they found out he had been backed by a sectoral lobbying organisation.

Jordan Carter, who is vice-president of Young Labour, distributed the two emails attached below to as many people as he could on Sunday night and Monday at midday. He has obtained so far only favourable responses, though some people have disagreed with a “Labour’s in power, everything’s fine” view which they felt was apparent.

"I believe that the change in Government last year was the start of an improvement, and I stand by that. Of course people will have differences of opinion on policy specifics, and that is entirely to be expected. I’m firmly of the view that repairing the damage that past economic policies – from both Labour and National governments – have caused will take more than just ten months. When the "Young New Zealanders" call for a change in direction, they seem either to be saying that we should reverse the improvements made for young people so far, or that we should return to the economic policies which have delivered us to where we are today.

"Neither argument is credible," said Jordan Carter.

"I was angry that a group of upper-class private school kids, working in the heart of the knowledge economy, could claim to represent all young New Zealanders, when they so obviously don’t. The response I’ve had so far demonstrates very clearly that other people share a similar impression," said Jordan Carter.

"I’d encourage anybody who doesn’t think that the “Young New Zealanders” represent all the young people of today to get in touch,” concluded Jordan Carter.

A 22-year-old student at the University of Auckland, Jordan Carter will complete Commerce and Arts degrees next year in politics, economics and geography.

People interested in showing support for a more realistic view of young New Zealanders’ prospects can email Jordan at carters@ihug.co.nz.

ENDS

Attached: two emails, sent to approximately 350 people.

Contact: Jordan Carter 021 294 6105 carters@ihug.co.nz

---

First message:

-----Original Message-----
From: Jordan Carter [SMTP:carters@ihug.co.nz]
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2000 11:35 PM To:
young.and.old@new.zealand
Subject: Real young New Zealanders - speak out! Importance: High

PLEASE pass this along your networks. Wide distribution is key to any successful counter to the money the other side was able to deploy. Focus on getting this to sympathetic young people.

--

Hi there, Last week (Thursday 5 October) a group of young professionals, backed by the Business Roundtable, called on the Government to change direction because NZ was "sliding backwards" and becoming unattractive for young New Zealanders. While I agree with some of the sentiment, and agree that there is a lot of work to be done before New Zealanders will come home, the call to change direction is entirely the wrong one.

The change in direction happened on 27 November last year, and fixing fifteen years of damage from poor economic policies isn't, unfortunately, a rapid process.

Some key reasons the BRT-backed Young New Zealanders are wrong when they call for a reversal back to the failed policies of the past:

a) Student loans are THE major factor driving young people overseas, therefore current policies to reduce student loans can only be the right direction.

b) Young people from NZ have always gone overseas to see the world and experience new things, and most of them have always come back.

c) NZ's poor economic performance has been a feature of the last fifteen years, and so current policies that have begun to transform NZ's economic direction should be maintained. Going back to past policy will simply cause our current problems to get worse, not better.

d) In some industries, NZ will simply never have the depth and variety of jobs that some larger countries can offer. Government policy can't give us the same employment market as somewhere like the UK or USA. People go overseas to seek jobs they can't get here - something that has happened for decades, and that broadens our view and experience as a nation. Far from going in the wrong direction, my view is that the Government needs to go further than it already has - particularly in dealing with the huge burden of student fees and loans.

If you also see the claims of the young professionals as a misrepresentation, please take this chance to have your say.

Forward the points above, or your own message, to the following:

newsdesk@herald.co.nz, smiths@tvnz.co.nz (the Holmes show), domnews@dominion.co.nz, evpnews@evpost.co.nz

Include any other addresses you feel are relevant to help make your voice heard.

Include your name, age, occupation and any qualifications.

Jordan Carter 22 Tertiary Student Completing BCom/BA in 2001.

carters@ihug.co.nz A concerned young New Zealander.

--

PLEASE pass this along your networks. Wide distribution is key to any successful counter to the money the other side was able to deploy. Focus on getting this to sympathetic young people.

-- Jordan Carter Auckland, New Zealand

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Dylan Thomas

---

Second message:

-----Original Message-----
From: Jordan Carter [SMTP:carters@ihug.co.nz]
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2000 12:01 PM To:
young.and.old@new.zealand
Subject: Disclosure - Real young New Zealanders Importance: High

Hi there, just an addition to my previous email, please be aware that I am the current Vice President of Young Labour, which is the youth wing of the New Zealand Labour Party.

While rushing to send the previous message off, I forgot to include this important fact. My intention is to be completely open about my political affiliations.

Please pass this correction on to anyone you forwarded my previous message to. I want there to be no misunderstanding as to where I'm coming from.

Kind regards,

Jordan Carter

-- Jordan Carter Auckland, New Zealand

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Dylan Thomas

© Scoop Media