Great article. An easy to understand logical and sensible argument. Transparency is vital to prevent nepotism and corruption that has reared its head in NZ with govt money
Can we please shrink the government by 70 percent and run the remainder from an office park in East Tamaki ? Serious suggestion. The political class on both sides of the house have delusions of competence and would not last a minute in a commercial setting. Radical right sizing is the only sensible antidote.
The problem is that New Zealand just refuses to do any long-term cross-party planning or any attempt at a real cost-benefit analysis. That results in "asset sales" to mates who then strip the asset and sell the wreck. Classic examples are Air New Zealand, Marsden Point and Kiwirail; the closure of coal mines without regard to power generation needs; the sale of power companies with no mechanism to ensure that power costs were not gamed for profit; the sale of farmland for pine forests while closing timber mills (and rural towns) due to high power prices. We also excell in high cost infrastructure projects that just fail - look at "Lets get Wellington Moving" and the Transmission Gully fiasco - still not finished and now needing resealing of the road surface. We also do no lateral thinking. Why spend all that money on water and sewer pipe replacement in small towns when a water tank and "night soil" collection or composting toilet would be a cheaper option (or would it? - do a cost-benefit )? forget it. 40% of the population are illiterate and innumerant despite spending $2.5 billion over 4 years. No accountability for anything.
Looking wanly homewards from Melbourne, (where infrastructure projects take forever to complete) .. I concur with the points in your excellent summary article Roger. Does the NZ Government listen to you?
Great article. An easy to understand logical and sensible argument. Transparency is vital to prevent nepotism and corruption that has reared its head in NZ with govt money
Can we please shrink the government by 70 percent and run the remainder from an office park in East Tamaki ? Serious suggestion. The political class on both sides of the house have delusions of competence and would not last a minute in a commercial setting. Radical right sizing is the only sensible antidote.
The problem is that New Zealand just refuses to do any long-term cross-party planning or any attempt at a real cost-benefit analysis. That results in "asset sales" to mates who then strip the asset and sell the wreck. Classic examples are Air New Zealand, Marsden Point and Kiwirail; the closure of coal mines without regard to power generation needs; the sale of power companies with no mechanism to ensure that power costs were not gamed for profit; the sale of farmland for pine forests while closing timber mills (and rural towns) due to high power prices. We also excell in high cost infrastructure projects that just fail - look at "Lets get Wellington Moving" and the Transmission Gully fiasco - still not finished and now needing resealing of the road surface. We also do no lateral thinking. Why spend all that money on water and sewer pipe replacement in small towns when a water tank and "night soil" collection or composting toilet would be a cheaper option (or would it? - do a cost-benefit )? forget it. 40% of the population are illiterate and innumerant despite spending $2.5 billion over 4 years. No accountability for anything.
It’s a competence issue not corruption per se. The political class in NZ are simply poor managers.
Looking wanly homewards from Melbourne, (where infrastructure projects take forever to complete) .. I concur with the points in your excellent summary article Roger. Does the NZ Government listen to you?
Excellent
A shame the government did not sell TVNZ 25 years ago when it was actually worth something !
Asset recycling = asset sales, and after the fiascos of the past, the electorate has little taste for it, rightly or wrongly.