Wellington
We probably shouldn’t be surprised that amongst all the next to ‘do’s’ from the incomingNational-led government, the one with the greatest potential to be a game changer, has been ignoredby most of the media.
Issues of teapots are much more pressing!
However, the under-the-radar announcement early in the election campaign of the doubling in sizeof IRL tobecome a high-tech HQ is exactly the type of initiative needed to support an economic revival inNew Zealand.
The same day (Nov. 3) release of a ‘ PoweringInnovation ’ report also had a number of recommendations.
Number 13 could be the most important in the scheme of setting an agenda, theme, direction orstrategy (in the absence of one as noted by
#13 -
Form a Science and Innovation Council, led from a very senior ministerial level inGovernment, with representatives from the university, public and private research
organisationsand from industry. Members should represent a wide range of science and technology themes, includingthe social sciences. The role of the Science and Innovation Council should be to establish anational innovation strategy and advise on science and innovation policy and priorities.
In Denmark, Singapore, Finland (all smaller countries with which New Zealand so often, sounflatteringly compares itself) that “very senior ministerial level” is the Prime Minister.
And so it needs to be in New Zealand. Key is key to cranking up the money-making creativity, andfor the nation to give itself permission and capital and build the skills to grow the value of whatwe produce.
This was noted in the New Zealand Institute’s press release that ‘The Prime Minister shouldbe the prime innovator’ (see
Put another way, having Key as the prime innovator means all the ducks are flying in formation– helping to ensure that impediments are removed, tracks are greased.
Of course Key would need to have a pretty good second in command to help achieve all this.
A rumour floating around Wellington is that Stephen Joyce may look to have a super-portfolio thathas the Ministry of Science & Innovation, the Ministry of Economic Development and the TertiaryEducation Commission all coming under his bailiwick.
Part of the thinking is that though all three ministries produce excellent policy, it is oftenproduced in a silo. At the macro level, the policy can be perverse, even contradictory.
So, Key to pick up #13 of Powering Innovation as prime innovator, and Joyce to pull it alltogether?
sticK calls it first.