International prices for agricultural produce fell, and the already flagging economy was finally dragged down by this welfare policy. In the 1970s the standard of living in New Zealand fell to the level of a century before.
因農產品國際價格下跌而已見頹勢的經濟終於被福利政策拖垮，七○年代，整個紐西蘭的生活水平降到一百年前的水準。