Friday, March 29, 2024

OFF THE CUFF: Settle in for a long wait for any action

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JABBA: Just Another Bloated Bullshit Acronym. One of the best things to come out of lockdown was the chance to catch up with some old friends for a belated opening weekend of duck shooting. 
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This is a diverse group from all walks of life who come together once a year to enjoy life and each other’s company. Naturally, conversation drifts between light humour and the issues of the day as we all share our unique perspectives on life. It would be fair to say we don’t always agree on matters but this year conversation drifted to the murky world of consulting and the cancer it is in our economy.

It was generally agreed by my group of mates the standard rate for consulting to the Government is about $400 an hour. 

That number did not surprise me but I must admit I have done no other research to validate this data. I do not feel I have to. Half of this group live and work in Wellington, have successful careers and rub shoulders with enough people to have a very good understanding on what is going on. In short, I trust them and their information more than that which comes from any other source.

It got me thinking about my farming career and what I have seen over the 17 years I have been a small business owner. If I had a dollar for every steering group, advisory panel or action plan associated with agriculture that has been created in that time I would be a very wealthy man. If my financial wealth relied on the progress and real-world results to come out of all these groups, well, I would probably be living on the street, homeless and desolate. 

The trend I have seen seems to follow a well-trodden path that provides a gravy train for those involved while, in most cases, failing to deliver any tangible benefits to those affected by the problems.

Once an area of concern is highlighted the powers that be will normally decide an acronym is needed to provide a catchy phrase everyone will remember. 

After the catchy acronym is agreed on it is important to allocate a huge amount of money from multiple sources and couple that with a lengthy timeline to ensure all those involved are well looked after for the duration of the project. 

Obviously, there needs to be substantial fat in the budget to accommodate the plethora of consultants who will appear to provide their wisdom as needed for $400 an hour. 

Timelines will be created but can be flexible to change with lack of progress and desires to splinter off in different directions. And along the way it is recommended other projects, steering groups and committees be formed so the single project becomes a never-ending, Jabba the Hut-sized money pit all those involved can keep feeding off.

The stunning observation among most of these groups is the lack of consultation and involvement by those most affected, the actual farmers. 

I am sure many of my farming colleagues would love to offer their knowledge and advice for substantially less than $400 an hour but, sadly, there seems to be consensus those most affected are also those whose wisdom is rarely required.

In 2020 there are more visions, action groups and joint action plans than I have ever seen in my farming career. I recognise many are formed with good intentions to address the fact we are facing more challenges than ever before. But have we reached a saturation point when the average person just does not have the stomach for any more of these groups to be formed?  

Meanwhile, back behind the eight-wire fence, Kiwi farmers wait with fading hope that one day one of these vast and confusing visions will actually manifest itself into something real and tangible that will provide actual benefits to their farming businesses. It might be a long wait.

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