Mike Hosking: What is it that these government consultants do exactly?

Yes, the upset yesterday at the revelation of the Three Waters office space is understandable. Millions spent on leases and hundreds of workers.

For what?

The thing doesn’t even exist. It's like the central health authority's first action being a report with 101 ideas as to what to do about fixing the place. Not a single one of them was original and none of them enacted because they had barely unpacked their lunch boxes.

That's this Government in a nutshell, though.

Some headlines, bit of noise, some advertising, a bit of hiring and some "transition” work. But the reality and the grunt work, where is it?

In the Three Waters case, tomorrow, allegedly, we are to receive the select committees report back on the Water Services Entities Bill. In other words, the legislation hasn’t been passed. Currently, there is no Three Waters.

So how can there be a bunch of people working madly away? What are they working away on?

Oh yes, the transition. To what? What's it look like? What's in? What isn't? What's getting changed? What's getting thrown out? No one knows, or do they?

The process of the select committee is to take the intention and hear from the public. Boy, have they heard from the public. Then, they maybe do something about it.

The rejection rate for this project has been monumental

Three Waters transition team lease space in Auckland for $2m per year

Govt slammed as dishonest after redirecting $70m of pandemic fund to Three Waters

Most councils don’t want a bar of the idea

They have made some changes, the council have rejected the changes and very few are even close to being on board.

So what are they saying is that it doesn’t matter what you think, it’s happening anyway and that’s why all these people are sitting at head office working away, because what you say, what you have objected to, is irrelevant.

Not even this Government are that arrogant, I don’t think.

So somewhere between ignoring us and throwing the whole thing in the bin lies what will actually happen, and given that, just what is it you do all day when you are employed on something that doesn’t have a shape yet?

Also, if you are one of those people, what did you sign up to?

And as what? How does that work, how much energy do you want to put into something that may never happen, how unfulfilling must that be?

If my bet is right and Three Waters never comes to pass, what do you put on your CV?

Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.