Coronavirus - New Zealand
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@Toddy They did, but still have to follow the law, and fee-funding adds legal wrinkles when fees are a large part of the usual funding envelope. Also, they can tell an agency the money will be there, but the agency isn't obliged to believe them until the legislation has been passed.
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Parliament did (the first tranche of funding came out of the Covid response funding, the second tranche out of the Budget), but part of the Budget process is also working out how much is needed - "as much as it takes" isn't something that can be put into legislation.
Health had the same problem - the Finance Minister said there was no limit, and they still struggled with budget because they didn't ask for enough.
That goes back to managers not asking for enough due to a decade or more of austerity and trying to do more with less, and the standard stuff around taxpayers' money (believe it or not, public servants usually take that seriously), not Parliament for not giving them enough.
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@Godder so the Finance minister wasn't paying enough attention to what the demands would be and that the budgets would be well short of what was needed. These are unprecedented times and it sounds like the Government weren't across this like they should.
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@canefan said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Crucial said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
On the flip side to govt errors, I'm not listening to one whinge about lockdown levels unless those making it can confirm that they are also being sensible.
I can't believe the number of people that are walking past requests to sanitise in shops, not using the QR codes, standing in close groups chatting, grouping in aisles of shops to talk, stopping in doorways etc etc.
They will all moan and blame others for failures but can't do the basics themselves FFS.Fuck we have a bad blame culture in this country.
I don't know whereabouts in NZ you are talking about. But in my little part of Auckland people have slipped back into lockdown mode. We have done everything that was asked of us and yet we are back here because of a lax border control
I’m in Wellington and the complacency exists.
As for the Aucklanders that ran out of the zone at first chance......
Why do you keep claiming that this is from lax borders? What do you know that we don’t? -
@canefan I saw that on FB this morning, someone I know had shared it from some page with lots of wierd shit on it...guess it sounds plausible, but surely the Govt arent that stupid to lie about it, I know they said they are investigating, but maybe they should say it is in the police' hands than flat out lie, IF TRUE.
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@canefan I saw that on FB this morning, someone I know had shared it from some page with lots of wierd shit on it...guess it sounds plausible, but surely the Govt arent that stupid to lie about it, I know they said they are investigating, but maybe they should say it is in the police' hands than flat out lie, IF TRUE.
Have they flat out lied? Genuinely asking as I'm basically following this in occasional Oz reports and on here.
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@Godder said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
That goes back to managers not asking for enough due to a decade or more of austerity and trying to do more with less, and the standard stuff around taxpayers' money (believe it or not, public servants usually take that seriously), not Parliament for not giving them enough.
Having worked in local and central govt, tertiary education, and DHB I'll just say the amount that gets spent on consultants and reports and meetings etc is insane, and I wouldn't say it was front of mind to most. Also that rather than the cream rising to the top in management it's more the floaters that won't flush (retire)
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Nepia so you highlight the words right next to IF TRUE...if that is true, then they have lied.
Now I'm really confused. I'm asking if they've lied now (or do people think they've lied) - so lets say that this story is 100% true, has the govt said something recently that is a lie about that (e.g. that denies it)?
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@Mokey said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Godder said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
That goes back to managers not asking for enough due to a decade or more of austerity and trying to do more with less, and the standard stuff around taxpayers' money (believe it or not, public servants usually take that seriously), not Parliament for not giving them enough.
Having worked in local and central govt, tertiary education, and DHB I'll just say the amount that gets spent on consultants and reports and meetings etc is insane, and I wouldn't say it was front of mind to most. Also that rather than the cream rising to the top in management it's more the floaters that won't flush (retire)
When I was one of these consultants I'd often have chats with govt dept managers in charge of the contracts about how much cheaper it would be just to have these "consultants" inhouse. For example, lets say I'm doing a 3 month report for govt Dept A. That report would cost them a multitude more than what my top end salary would be for the year if I worked for them. And that 3 month contract would probably only require a day a weeks work for me.
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@Nepia they say they are still trying to trace 'patient zero' as they do not know where the outbreak has come from, that 'theory' as well as Whinny (although he has spoken in less detail) have said it was from a known breach at the border, meaning, they have lied...which I dont buy, given I dont think they can be that stupid to think a lie wont get uncovered
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@Nepia they say they are still trying to trace 'patient zero' as they do not know where the outbreak has come from, that 'theory' as well as Whinny (although he has spoken in less detail) have said it was from a known breach at the border, meaning, they have lied...which I dont buy, given I dont think they can be that stupid to think a lie wont get uncovered
Cheers, that's what I was seeking clarification on.
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@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - New Zealand:
@canefan I saw that on FB this morning, someone I know had shared it from some page with lots of wierd shit on it...guess it sounds plausible, but surely the Govt arent that stupid to lie about it, I know they said they are investigating, but maybe they should say it is in the police' hands than flat out lie, IF TRUE.
Probably BS. I hope so, but it sounds plausible considering the reports of breaches
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@Nepia Yup. I remember one govt job I had, I did the comms tasks myself and got rid of the crap and wildly overpriced PR firm that were charging upwards of 500 bucks per press release etc. Saved like 60 grand in a year. The wastage blew my mind.
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@Nepia @Mokey theres usually a number of factors at play when there is public sector recruitment. There’s efficiency dividends, recruitment and senior executive caps and annual government dept budgets. Add to that the ongoing cost of employing someone full-time and the difficulty (employment law) in getting rid of a permanent are two major factors in going the contractor/consultant path.
@Godder i think what Covid-19 has exposed is the rigidity of ‘Government’ and bureaucracy. I’m not talking so much about people, but the inflexible “systems” which laden society that are easily adapted or changed. I think and hope that this will bring about changes that will endure beyond Covid and community’s engagement with ‘Government’ will be enhanced.