The new head of the newly created Ministry of Science and Innnovation is Murray Bain (formerly the head of the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology, FRST). He was touted by Wellington insiders as the one who would get the job long before recruitment began.
Is he the best person for the job? He could be, it’s just we’d never know.
The job was advertised for just 2 and half weeks – hardly what I would call a concerted international search to attract the best and the brightest in the world which is what this new position demands. Did we approach world leading countries in innovation, such as Finland, Denmark, Singapore? In that time I doubt it.
The government is spending money and energy amalgamating our science departments, supposedly to herald a step change in science and innovation. Mostly, it’s activity to give an impression it’s doing something. This nudge, nudge, wink, wink approach to recruitment that the government seems to stand behind is further proof it’s not serious.
Good. I’m glad a New Zealander got it. I hope he looks like a New Zealander!
No, Henry said looks like a Kiwi – has he got feathers and a long beak?
didn’t take Len Brown long to choose his deputy, a position of great significance especially if something happens to Len. Not sure what process was followed here as it wasn’t even advertised.
Hi David,
I don’t get you guys. First of all you talk about restructuring archives and libraries threatening independence, then you slam the state services commissioner for appointing a new health ministry director general after an international search, and now you wade in and attack the state services commissioner for re-appointing the incumbent by saying the government should have gone off-shore.
Could you guys please make up your mind what line you’re going to run and be consistent with it.
Why are my messages in moderation?
Because you are being kept an eye on. Clare
Cronyism???
The net effects from pre-MORST to now MSI are the wasted opportunities, time and effort in recent months to get real work done and R&D action going, thanks to attention and energy being soaked up with the make-over .. i.e. making things like as though a lot is going on. Really, when it comes to R&D, this Government’s initiatives are proving to be yawners.
:-0
typo, sorry.
should have typed: “.. making things LOOK like as though ..”
Hi Clare, thanks for your reply. I realise I am being kept an eye on, that’s why I’m in moderation. What I don’t know is why I’m being kept an eye on. Have I used language that isn’t appropriate or broken the rules of commenting here to warrant my comments in moderation or is it that I sometimes offer a different view that the posters don’t like to hear? If it’s the latter and all you want to hear is comments that support everything that is said here then commenting is a waste of time and I will bugger off.
I don’t think I placed you in moderation. One of my co-moderators will have. The reason will have been becasue of the tone of your comments, not the content. Unless it was clearly wrong. But if you have been offensive, accusatory, inappropriate or engaged in trolling then you end up in moderation. Or you get banned. If you like we’ll review it in a week. Clare
Red under the Bed says:
October 14, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Cronyism???
mm, is that where a political party in Govt appoints a former MP or party stalwart to a post on a board or indeed overseas??? .. is that a new idea?
@Jabba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronyism
Your right thou, you could dress those appoints up as cronyism. “appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications.”
I dunno if this is a case of cronyism?
Seem quick thou, not very meritocratic…
How silly to give a job like that to a Kiwi without looking for a foreigner to do it. Spare me.
smhead… I got banned by Trevor for “obscenity”. Without even one little swearword. Go figure.
Resend me the comment by email John. Trevor
In my experience Murray Bain is good – but the process doesn’t look flash when it is all done so quickly.
But probably better than that for Health where 27 turned the job down over a six month period and they had to get a Scot who thinks the key to improving health is to reduce the number of nurses.
I think one of the forgotten lessons of the 80s Labour government was the amazing success of appointing people by merit rather than political affiliation or nationality…
A bit of that in this post, although that doesn’t suprise given that David has that rarest of political traits – common sense…
I’ve gotten a two week shower twice from Trevor for “trolling” when both times the comments were on topic and contained no swear words… If you don’t agree with the party line you are either “trolling” or have a “tone”… Hardly an advertisement for Open Labour…
Fairly soon you will be banned for lying – you are in moderation for repeatedly trolling – way way off thread. Trevor
Lol, now I’m in permanent moderation…
I wonder why…
Hi Trev,
Have you got published evidence that 27 people turned down the Health Ministry job, or is that yet another urban legend the labour party has started?
head I’m not going to list them – why give Ryall another set of targets.