[upnorthkyosa]

If NZ was not able to receive imported goods for whatever reason, how would this affect the basic functioning of the country? I've read in numerous places that Kiwis are very self sufficient and that there are alot of natural resources in NZ. Is this true?

[clg]

In the event of bird flu they plan to shut down the borders here in an attempt to keep it out, so there is a degree of self sufficiency for a limited period. You would not starve to death here but there are a lot of things that are imprted, cars, parts, electronics, etc. For power I belive we do import some import some oil but there is some here, and they think there may be a lot more in the Great South Basin. About 65% of power here comes from renewable resouces and they are trying to boost that. It really depends really on the time frame. If we were totally cut off for a long time we would survive but it would be a big adjustment!

[upnorthkyosa]

In the event of bird flu they plan to shut down the borders here in an attempt to keep it out, so there is a degree of self sufficiency for a limited period. You would not starve to death here but there are a lot of things that are imprted, cars, parts, electronics, etc. For power I belive we do import some import some oil but there is some here, and they think there may be a lot more in the Great South Basin. About 65% of power here comes from renewable resouces and they are trying to boost that. It really depends really on the time frame. If we were totally cut off for a long time we would survive but it would be a big adjustment!

That's really cool info, thanks. You mentioned that 65% of our power comes from renewables? That is wonderful! Which renewables are being used?

[KerryS]

I work for a power company, so can be the party bore to answer this question.
My company uses the following renewable resources for generation - hydro, geothermal and biomass. Others utilise wind power.
Only a small percentage of power generation comes from finite resources, so I would estimate that far more than 65% comes from renewables. I can get a breakdown of the figures if you really want this info?

Back to your self-sufficiency question - I think NZ would cope reasonably well. Agriculture is one of the largest industries here, so the provision of food would not be too problematic. It would be as clg pointed out, the goods that are imported are not really life threatening. I'm sure we could survive without a new tv or whatever...