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June 2013

Waitohi

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O’Connor Comments

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Bigger not always better If bigger is better then we are in trouble as a nation. Most countries we compete with on the world stage are all bigger in every way than New Zealand. Thankfully we have proven time and again across a whole range of platforms from diplomacy to trade, and of course sport, that you don’t have to be big to be the best.

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The determination by the National Government to amalgamate government departments and agencies to save money is not proving to be successful. Bigger departments with a whole range of responsibilities does not mean better services. In fact we have witnessed serious problems that in my view are the direct result of the governments incompetent management of core functions. Labour successfully negotiated in government a Free Trade Agreement with China that led the world in new trade opportunities. The whole country has benefited from huge growth in volume and value of our trade with China.

But there have been problems and the Trade Minister has just announced a review by the 4 key ministers (Trade, Primary Industries, Food Safety and Foreign Affairs) into the problems that have threatened exports to China. The Food Safety Authority was a semi independent government agency responsible for accreditation of our food exports. Biosecurity New Zealand likewise independent and government owned. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was responsible for policy and development of our primary sectors including the negotiation for better access into international markets.

On paper the merging of all these departments to save a bit of money might have seemed logical but the implementation has proved neither efficient nor effective. We have suffered biosecurity breaches and stretched border protection that indicates a declining level of biosecurity protection for our country. Food safety accreditation is not right. Apples were held up at the Russian border and meat exports into China faced delays and millions of dollars of costs while officials worked out basic paperwork. The increased level of scrutiny of all the worlds food trade from growing paranoia and better residue detection

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mean we will have to be better at our job of proving we produce the safest and best quality food in the world, for every market need. In this very vital area of Government responsibility the bigger Ministry of Primary Industries is not proving to be better. Instead of blaming officials the Minister for Primary Industries should admit the National Government’s agenda to save money through a bigger single department is bad policy and has failed. We must believe that a small country can be smart, innovative and nimble to deliver an economy that can outperform bigger less agile economies. So too can government agencies that are vital to our export economy. We need experts not a bunch of generalists when it comes to complex food trade requirements. If we are to be trusted to feed the babies of the world with infant formula, we can’t afford to allow mistakes to occur. New Zealand’s reputation has been hard won by our ancestors and supported by astute internationally trusted government agencies. The National Governments determination to dismantle and restructure so many of them has been a risky act of political ideology and we have all suffered. I trust the review of our food export system by Ministers is a genuine one, not an attempt to blame officials once again for a flawed policy based on a simple and often stupid ideal that bigger is always better. It is not and we are proof of that as a nation. Lets not forget it.

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