The PM wants to reject the “culture of saying no”. Good line. Except his “year of growth” smacks of Jacinda’s “year of delivery”.

The National-led Government wants a big bang restructure of the science and research sector. Labour wanted one for health. They spent a year buried in head office frameworks, new department names and fresh organigrams. And let’s not talk of the polytechs, or that merger between TVNZ and RNZ.

At the new “public research organisations”, staff will spend the first half of the year jostling to keep their jobs. The lucky few will spend the second half on strategy days and writing new HR policies.

There will be no new research this time next year. Nothing that can be commercialised.


Josie's Saturday column in The Post is here.