Save Invermay

Written By: - Date published: 10:56 am, May 7th, 2014 - 17 comments
Categories: farming, science - Tags: , ,

We still don’t know why Joyce is pushing on with the move to shut Invermay, Dunedin’s impressive AgResearch centre, but it’s still not too late to stop him and the AgResearch board.

Last week, one of the biggest breeds of sheep, Texel breeders voted no confidence in the AgResearch board.  The petition continues to grow.  Dunedin is alive with the issue, and it’s spreading through particularly sheep farmers, who don’t want this world class institute moved, and most of the world class scientists lost overseas.

The move doesn’t make economic sense – Berl’s independent report has the best case scenario (which no doubt presumes the current scientists stay) being the benefits on the $100 million restructure are within the margin of error, the worst case significantly below that.

So why are they doing it?  To bail out Lincoln?  To damn Dunedin?  To make Joyce look like he’s doing something?

Anyway, there’s still time: www.saveinvermay.co.nz

[Red Alert‘s first post in 2 months is on this!]

17 comments on “Save Invermay ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Philj 1
    7 May 2014 at 11:32 am

    xox
    I’ll wait for the Southland cockies to block the streets of Dipyton with their tractors before I would support them.

  2. Will@Welly 2
    7 May 2014 at 12:36 pm

    This move, by Joyce, has all the hallmarks of the failed ideology of the 1980’s. TINA. Without the hope of anything truly positive coming out of it. Jobs dis-established/lost/relocated, knowledge lost, ultimately probably a private investor brought on board to resurrect things once reality sets in.
    We’ve seen all this before. How many godforsaken lessons does this country need before we wake up?!!

    • tc 2.1
      7 May 2014 at 4:09 pm

      ‘How many godforsaken lessons does this country need before we wake up.’

      Depends how many more time the nats get voted back in would be the answer, muldoon just about broke us, bolger/shipley started gutting us and returning to dickensian rule, now sideshow and his dealing room is selling off the family assets, laws, industry and soverignty.

      It’s what you don’t hear about concerns me especially anything with Joyces boot stamp on it, wtf has novopay gone so quiet as one example.

  3. Chooky 3
    7 May 2014 at 12:39 pm

    Good Post…yes it does seem incomprehensible and arrogant….and many think this …Lets hope the people and farmers and scientists of Dunedin and Southland take to the streets in protest!

    …..maybe he has in mind to set up a private company down there to take its role? ( maybe in partnership with Oravida?..lol)

    • Dave 3.1
      8 May 2014 at 4:01 pm

      There are very many private research units in Otago / Southland, one of NZ’s most succcessful R&D pioneers operates out of Wanaka, but most keep a very low profile.

      The real test, is if industry really want Invermay, they will pay for it, guess how much the industry value it ???? yup, not too much.

  4. blue leopard 4
    7 May 2014 at 12:52 pm

    That narrow-minded profiteering and money fixated buffoon, Joyce and others of similar ilk, shouldn’t be positioned anywhere near anything to do with research or education.

    Those types just don’t ‘get’ the importance of knowledge… Or perhaps they do and that is why they work to degenerate all knowledge creating organisations or get them shut down.

  5. ianmac 5
    7 May 2014 at 1:42 pm

    All in the name of Centralisation I guess. Given a few years the fashion will become decentralisation and such units as Invermay will be set up in smaller units.

    • tc 5.1
      7 May 2014 at 5:03 pm

      yes business does that then realises it’s lost knowledge, skills and now has expanded cost base and high staff churn due to moving those that do move where other businesses are in places with higher costs….duh

      Ag research naturally needs to be spread out and close to it’s users, I thought each unit researched different areas anyway.

      This is more idiotic short term cost cutting that’s across the board to plug the hole these con artists punched in crown tax take with the ‘fiscally neutral’ tax cuts.

  6. ghostwhowalksnz 6
    7 May 2014 at 4:09 pm

    Isnt this about creating hubs or centres of excellence , or even maypoles of merit

    Could it be that Joyce has enviously seen Bryan Goulds career after politics and fancies himself as Vice Chancellor of his alma mater, Massey. Without of course a stellar academic distictions

  7. tricledrown 7
    8 May 2014 at 12:49 am

    Farmers are really pissed off with this bean brained bullshit by Joyce.
    Nationals support amongst farmers will go down big time if Invermay is fucked over by Joyce .
    NZ farming will loose world class scientists just like at the wool research unit .

  8. Dave 8
    8 May 2014 at 3:56 pm

    Now, i understand a bit about Ag Research and Invermay. Firstly, one of the major issues any research organisation faces is how to commercialize any outcomes of their research. This issue dominates the research field, and is why any government agency / department is best out of the practical side of research, or development. Invermay does not have a fantastic track record, so best to shut it, and let those key people form their own R&D companies, and contract to others like the manufacturers, who have a vested interest in R&D.

    Where Government can have a bigger impact, is in funding true commercial organisations to do proper commercially backed research, and to foster ground breaking research – but not actually do it. Don’t get me wrong, Invermay have some really good scientists and researchers, but the organisation lacks commercial nous and without the true end focus, cannot perform or succeed.

    • Tautoko Viper 8.1
      8 May 2014 at 4:50 pm

      I disagree with your statement, Dave, about the necessity of having a true end focus which is set by commercial organisations. This limits the scope of research by restricting scientists to narrow parameters within the confines of vision of the business managers. Many important discoveries have been found because scientists have had the freedom and vision to research further on new paths created by unanticipated outcomes of their experiments. Steven Joyce simply does not understand this.

      • Dave 8.1.1
        8 May 2014 at 6:19 pm

        seriously, so please tell us all of the commercial remidies that Invermay has come up with over the last 3 years. then perhaps cost if against the commercial return, versus the huge cost.

        Don’t get me wrong, i do agree with research, but not research for research’s sake, there must be a point, it must have an understood value.

        • Chooky 8.1.1.1
          8 May 2014 at 8:38 pm

          @ Dave….it is crucial that local farmers have local/regional experts on hand to advise them and do the research and give the advice they need….i know of one farmer nationally recognised for the innovation and success of their farming…it was credited by this farmer ( with an Ag Science Degree)to the frequent consultations and quality of the local university ag/science specialist advice received…they said they had spent a fortune on the advice …and when asked whether they had taken the ALL the advice they had been given …they said they would have been a fool not to !…..

          ….taking Invermay away from Dunedin is depriving the local Southland and Otago farmers of invaluable easily accessible specialist advice ( not easily commercially quantified in Joyce speak)

          ….the remedy would be to get rid of Joyce who is a fuckwit ( bring on the Election!)

      • Chooky 8.1.2
        8 May 2014 at 6:39 pm

        +100 Tautoko Viper

        ..the scientists should direct their own research in consultation with the needs of farmers and the environmental parameters and ecological considerations …they are the experts

        …maybe Joyce does not want these other considerations taken into account…just pure commerce and profit for NACTs mates …and f… over the land ?

  9. A VOTER 9
    10 May 2014 at 1:31 pm

    Just another act of destroying the historical base of the country in anyway that has any possibility of reflecting on the socialist achievements of the past
    Key wants this govt and his name stamped all over the country ruling out history prior to his fascist annexation of the country, cause lets face it there is no reason to cost the country more money, you cant replace the best part of centuries work in one mans life time especially in NZ
    Lets slow this megalomaniac govt to a halt before it destroys anything else