Reason to stay

Graduate Anna Hamilton-Manns hit the headlines at the Finance 2010 event when she challenged Bill English, saying his tax policy was not strong enough to stop talented young people from leaving the country.

She was interviewed on TV1, TV3 and by newspaper journalists after she asked the finance minister for a “good reason” to stay in New Zealand.

The following day English invited her for a one-to-one discussion to see what ideas she had to prevent “brain drain”.

No stranger to offering advice, Hamilton-Manns, 33, is on the University’s College of Business Advisory Board.

She returned to New Zealand four years ago after working overseas and runs her own event management company.

“Coming back, I don’t see the opportunities in New Zealand apart from having babies, and maybe that’s not what we all want,” she told English.

“I have my own company but, your proposition, I’m doubting whether it’s strong enough and whether I’m thinking about getting back on that plane.”

English replied that the Government wanted to cut personal taxes to give people “incentives to work hard, to improve their skills, to save, to invest and to get ahead here in New Zealand”. But he said there was no silver bullet solution.

Hamilton-Manns, who had voted for National at the last general election, said it did not go far enough and emailed him the next day. He replied and arranged a meeting.

“I told him I wanted to be part of the solution, not to create a headache.

“I wanted to speak out for the thousands of young, bright New Zealanders out there who want to stay in this country but feel they have to move overseas to find the career opportunities and earn the incomes they deserve.”

Since graduating from Massey in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science (chemistry) and a Diploma in Secondary Teaching, Hamilton-Manns has travelled the world, working in Qatar, Kuwait, Britain, Italy and South Africa for five years as a teacher and then as an event manager.

She is concerned that others would not return.

“We are going to have more and more people leaving for economic reasons rather than just to check out the Taj Mahal and tick off 40 countries in 40 days. This problem around the world is not unique, but we do have it.”

She says she is encouraged that English is prepared to listen.