New Zealanders work harder for less money than most people in the developed world, and authors Professor Shaun Hendy and the late Sir Paul Callaghan (died 2012) suggest this is because we have been capitalising on ‘sheep not smarts’.
As productivity and innovation in agriculture are higher than in other sectors, the case could be made that a lot of smarts have been employed – as well as sheep, cows, deer, goats, etc.
Further, attempts to move away from agriculture in the past have failed. The ‘knowledge wave’ focus on biotechnology, information technology and the creative and performing arts, for instance, has not revolutionised anything except student enrolments in qualifications that don’t necessarily lead to jobs.
The problem with negative suggestions is the damage they do to understanding the truth and the reduced likelihood of recruiting great people.
The second volume of the KPMG Agribusiness Agenda 2013 (available at www.kpmg.com/NZ) focuses on this challenge. ‘Maintaining our people powered performance – leading New Zealand’s primary industry into a prosperous future’ picks up on many of the themes Rural News has reported through the years and is based on discussion with industry leaders earlier this year.
The vision presented of a dynamic and innovative primary sector bursting with credible ideas from talented people, all focussed on creating a vibrant economy, should inspire New Zealanders to get involved.
Some of the initiatives already underway are showcased: St Paul’s Collegiate School, for instance, with its new Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Sciences and Business. Initiatives like this have potential to be expanded to create the national platform for a change in thinking.
The big change required is simply in the value that New Zealand places on primary professional workers – on farm, in the support industries, the testing laboratories, through research and development, business and marketing, as well as policy and education.
Changing the perception of what it takes to be involved in the multi-million dollar industries that comprise the primary sector – from farm through the innovation value chain – is part of ensuring the vision is achieved. Everybody has a part to play.
The basic call in Get off the Grass is correct: take science seriously by increasing funding. This can be done without affecting agriculture detrimentally – and increased investment in agricultural research from farm to fork would enable bigger returns to the country. In particular, research in simplifying the value chain, and focussing on sustainable primary production, would reduce the need for food processing – and hence minimise the potential problems with food recalls.
Hendy and Callaghan suggest that New Zealanders should agree to double the intensity of spending on science and innovation in the next decade with a substantial increase in untargeted, basic research. It was this sort of research that laid the foundation for the agriculture sector – the most productive and innovative sector in New Zealand.
In order to get on with Sir Paul’s legacy, the book urges New Zealanders to vote for the party that has the best science and innovation policies at the next election.
This party had better have a great agricultural policy as well, in order to encourage the ongoing production of great food and fibre. Add a top-notch education policy, which sends signals about skills shortages by removing fees in those areas, and smart use of grass, will continue to be what drives the economy while other sectors catch up.
• Jacqueline Rowarth is Professor of Agribusiness, The University of Waikato: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
