Million dollar baby fails to deliver

Meanwhile, it is also stalling for time to provide answers about the costs and names of the members of the PSC who attended the Te Hono Bootcamp at Stanford University in California in July this year.

The PSC was set up in April 2018, for two years, at the behest of O’Connor, “to provide strategic advice to the Government on issues, opportunities and challenges facing the primary industries” and to “develop a sector-wide vision”.

Resulting from an Official Information Act (OIA) request in June 2018 about the costs and formation of the PSC, Rural News discovered that the body had an estimated annual cost of $400,000-$500,000 a year. 

MPI confirmed that $300,000-$350,000 had been budgeted annually for meeting costs, room hire, airfares and accommodation for the council. Meanwhile, administrative costs were expected to cost another $100,000-$150,000 a year on top of this.

Since its formation, according to records on the MPI website, the 13-member PSC has met 11 times, with its last meeting minutes posted on 28 April 2019. 

It is chaired by former Zespri chief executive Lain Jager. Other council members are Nadine Tunley, Puawai Wereta, Tony Egan, Julia Jones, John Brakenridge, Stephanie Howard, Mark Paine, Julian Raine, Neil Richardson, Mirana Stephens, John Rodwell, Steve Saunders and Steve Smith.

According to MPI, council members are paid a daily rate of “$800 for the chair, $500 for members and $650 for members acting as chair or leading a sub-group”.

Meanwhile, it is understood that in July 2019, members of the Primary Sector Council joined Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and travelled to Stanford University in California to attend the Te Hono Stanford Bootcamp.

On August 1, Rural News lodged another OIA request asking for the costs – including airfares, accommodation and course fees – related to the Primary Sector Council members attending the Te Hono Stanford Bootcamp. We also asked for names of the members of PSC members who attended the bootcamp.

However, just like the OIA request in June last year, MPI has again failed to answer within in the 20 working day deadline obligated under the OIA and has instead pushed for more than a month’s extension of the deadline.

In a letter to Rural News on August 27, MPI says it “...will not be able to respond within the timeframe set out in the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) because consultation necessary to make a decision on your request is such that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the normal 20 working day time limit”.

MPI says it will reply to the OIA request “...no later than October 3, 2019”.