What’s happening in science and to our Crown Research Agencies? Well, it’s difficult to work out, but Minster Wayne Mapp has been musing out loudthat it might be good idea to shrink them down from 8 to 3, or maybe 4 or 5. Why? Well that’s unclear. The Association of Science put it down to a ‘rush of blood to the head’. Vernon Small put it quite aptly in Stuff.
In fact it’s difficult to work out whether it’s Mapp’s idea or whether Bill English had a word and asked Wayne to make it look like he’s doing something – like some of the other mergers in the past few months.
Usually we have a plan and any restructuring follows to meet the plan’s objectives. The problem here of course is that there is no plan, just a rush of blood.
She’ll be right mate, just tie the fused agencies together with some number 8!
The illusion of progress! Sadly, to make it look like this govt has some interest in science, yet another upheaval. Sadly, restructuring will result in job losses, more scientists heading overseas, and distraction for the very people who we need to focus on lifting our economic value.
Just leave the CRI’s alone. Lift the funding and support, and get these people working hard to lift our economy. let them do their jobs!!
I guess National needs to fund its million dollar bailouts for the oldboys clubs somehow
Slash and burn R & D while pinning your recovery hopes on mining and oil (both wont actually transpire for over 5 years if they do get approval).
Remember Fantasy Island, and the little guy at the beginning pointing and saying “the plane! the plane!”
Just remove the “e” and you have New Zealand
It would be wrong to say that the current CRIs work well, but more wrong to say that some mega-merger would help. What is needed, of course, is an injection of cash into R&D from both Government AND Industry, who both lag well behind their oversees equivalents in their R&D spend. Fair to say that this underspend has been chronic in NZ – Labour and National have been equally poor at talking the talk on this but not putting their money where their mouth is. It would be good to see Labour describe a firm plan to place Science investment at the centre of the drive to future prosperity, as Barack Obama has done in the US.
I know this isn’t really the blog spot to discuss the Agria takeover of PGG Wrightson but the article below does make this pertinenet comment that is specific to the role of CRIs:
‘Agria’s bid for control of PGG Wrightson raised plenty of eyebrows in New Zealand’s agricultural community. The takeover documents were virtually silent on Agria’s intentions for the company and the seeds business (its prime asset) which has been built on the back of good public research.’
Yes thats right – good public research.
The area of PGG Wrightson of primary interest to Agria – the seeds business – was gifted to key members of the New Zealand business community by the tax-payer who have then turned out to be completely incompetent (and lazy) at managing what should be an integral part of New Zealand’s future as a clever country.
Since then, National, ACT and the business establishment have conspired to try to keep the whole deal as quite as possible before the election – thankyou Fran O’Sullivan for actually bringing this up.
A new Labour government team I’m sure would recognise the value of ensruing this type of NZ intellectual property remains under the control of NZ Inc so we may all benefit….. from the research originally carried out by perhaps one of the CRIs being discussed.
The rest of the article is interesting and essential reading –
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10720449