EV lolly-scramble for taxpayers' money (18 Jan, 2018)

[aardvark_admin]

This column is archived at: https://aardvark.co.nz/daily/2018/0118.shtml

Could better use have been made of that $3.7m?

Does the government's press release prove only that it has no real strategy for encouraging the use of EVs in this country?

Why are F&P again on the list of winners in this contestable funding round? Why are they different to any other NZ company that might want to put in EV chargers for staff and what evidence did they have to back up their claim that "if you build them, they will come" in respect to those chargers?

Would a $1m technology challenge be a good idea to foster interest and investment in the creation of an indigenous EV commuter-car industry? Why is our government seemingly so opposed to the sensible use of money by leveraging it through such challenges instead of handing it out like lollies to whichever company can come up with the best story (as F&P so regularly seem to do)?

And wouldn't Coda be better to simply wait until Tesla's electric truck is available and buy one of those for much less than the $1m+ that they're planning to spend on building their own?

[komodo5692]

It is great to see Bryce raise issues of government misspending again. Promotion of EVs in NZ is important, but it needs to be fair and balanced.

[latewings]

University Engineering students often develop innovative solutions for leading edge tech. Given first year students are now getting 'free' (ie: we pay for it via disguised taxation) tuition it would be useful to extract something of value from their youthful enthusiasm and imaginations?

Giving such small amounts to established organisations means the money will go on salaries rather than equipment.

[Perry]

Didja see the item about the squandering by CallAgain Sinnovation?

Government agency spends more than $300k on entertainment

[aardvark_admin]

Didja see the item about the squandering by CallAgain Sinnovation?

Government agency spends more than $300k on entertainment

Oh yes, *THE* old-boys network to beat all old-boys networks.

In a single year they spend a decade and a half of the tax I pay on piss-ups.

Yep, that's a great use of public money (sigh!).

[Malcolm]

On its own two and a half thousand for thirty staff for a social function isn't that much. Most end of year functions would easily be around that level. The drag venue is just headline grabbing BS. But the overall picture of $300k in a year is a bit of a concern. Although it would be nice to see a real breakdown of it and what sort of things it was spent on.
There are far worse things Callaghan Innovation has done since IRL was gutted to create it.

[Perry]

All businesses do need to spend something on gifts and entertainment, even tax-payer-funded ones.

It would perhaps not be quite so bad if CallAgain Sinnovation had a splendid record of innovation achievement.

What's their record look like?

What and where is the ROI for taxpayers?

Apart from very expensively keeping a few people off the street!

[goosemoose]

Its the bureaucratic equivalent of not sticking your head above the parapet. These companies are perceived as safe and stable. You can imagine the outcry if they gave money out to a bunch of badly dressed, bearded hipsters no matter how smart they are or how exceptional their idea is and then the media found that they'd once spent some of the grant of a morning coffee. State Insurance would stand a better chance of getting a grant for a nuclear drone than a company run by bunch of young super smart nuclear drone engineers.

Safe and stable looks good to the old fogeys too, the ones that vote. I'd imagine the young vibrant enterprises are just getting on with. They also probably don't have the PR/bullshit/legal departments to put together a bid for a handout. In fact this is probably a good investment strategy, any company given money by these outfits are probably crap anyway.

[hiscoca]

If the govts science advisor was any good then this sort of thing would not happen.
Show me an un-invested Govt department that actually good provide reasonable unbiased advice

[hiscoca]

Okay read the scoop article, I see a few very opportunist people there and I see some potentially good ideas there, but *"at the end of the day"* 3.7 million is not a lot of money in the scheme of things.
The one that strikes me as not being a good move is the Campervan one, having some knowledge of that industry this is a semi monopoly taking advantage