Trailblazers: The New Zealand Story

A calm, talking-heads economics documentary that argues its case through scenic landscapes and earnest interviews, informative but dry and plainly persuasive.

Directed by

James Tusty, Maureen Castle Tusty

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Johan Norberg, Roger Beattie, Don Brash

Tagline

First pain, then gain...

Overview

New Zealand is a place of great natural beauty and resources, of pioneering immigrants from the Maori to the more recent settlers. They’re fierce, hardy, and strong, able to withstand challenges like the massive economic challenge they faced in the mid 1980’s. With their economy unraveling, they made huge, controversial changes, including doing away with farm subsidies and protectionist import controls. At first, it hurt. A lot. But now, the farmers and the fishers, the people and the economy, are prospering. And they wouldn’t go back to subsidies, special interests, or support for manufacturers. Travel to New Zealand with scholar Johan Norberg to meet some amazing Kiwis and see how they blazed a trail to economic prosperity.

How it feels

Measured and needs your attention.

About

Politics, work, survival, freedom

Content

No violence, gore, sexual content or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)