No story for me right now is bigger than the Government asking Health New Zealand to cut $100 million off the construction budget for the new Dunedin Hospital.
The story could be worse as the project is running $200 million dollars over budget but calling taihoa over a project that's further down the track than so many of their pipedream ideas seems reckless to me.
Already Health New Zealand has publically admitted that the drive to cut $100 million off a $1.5 billion dollar build has delayed the hospital's opening by a year.
A year when costs will only go up even more.
The proposed cuts shave a dozen rooms off the project, a couple of operating theatres and crams labs into tiny workspaces.
No one in Dunedin thinks this is a good idea.
The reason the hospital was originally designed the way it was designed was because that was what was needed. What changes? As I understand it Dunedin is looking an even more growth than was expected at design time.
It's the New Zealand infrastructure malaise. A overarching concern about ballooning budgets that trumps logic.
There is no logic to a $100 million dollar hospital build budget cut when the same Government is proposing tens of billions of dollars of spending on light rail and Harbour Bridges.
There is no logic when the same agency is spending $600 million finding efficiencies that may result in 1600 redundancies. There is no doubt in my mind that the money spent now will be recouped many fold in the future.
If this is a government that is getting back to basics, there is nothing more basic than building legacy hospitals. It's doesn't happen nearly often enough so heed the people of Dunedin and their mayor.
Do it once and do it right.
Andrew Dickens is a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB.
A year when costs will only go up even more.
The proposed cuts shave a dozen rooms off the project, a couple of operating theatres and crams labs into tiny workspaces.
No one in Dunedin thinks this is a good idea.
The reason the hospital was originally designed the way it was designed was because that was what was needed. What changes? As I understand it Dunedin is looking an even more growth than was expected at design time.
It's the New Zealand infrastructure malaise. A overarching concern about ballooning budgets that trumps logic.
There is no logic to a $100 million dollar hospital build budget cut when the same Government is proposing tens of billions of dollars of spending on light rail and Harbour Bridges.
There is no logic when the same agency is spending $600 million finding efficiencies that may result in 1600 redundancies. There is no doubt in my mind that the money spent now will be recouped many fold in the future.
If this is a government that is getting back to basics, there is nothing more basic than building legacy hospitals. It's doesn't happen nearly often enough so heed the people of Dunedin and their mayor.
Do it once and do it right.
Andrew Dickens is a broadcaster with Newstalk ZB.
7 comments:
Thank you for making this known. This government can find millions for any number of useless projects while failing disastrously on the basics.
perhaps they should ask local business for a donation - the $1.8B charity Ngai Tahu would surely be keen to donate something to show their unfettered commitment to co-governance - they were recently given $96M of dirty colonialist money they may want to wash their hands of
You're absolutely right. This Government has wasted that amount many times over on failed projects and policies like you mention. Do it once, do it right, and create something for the benefit of everybody in the region.
And if you're wondering, I live in the North Island.
100 million sounds like a lot eh? But then the amount of billions this govt. throws at problems it is like it sh*ts money. No logic whatsoever except perhaps hidden agendas to keep the populous slightly hungry and desperate. While spending big on woke trains and walk ways. You know the money comes from somewhere other than NZ???
Also this morning, $35M to Mt. Egmont "managers", and yet this Government says it hasn't the funds to build Dunedin Hospital to plan.
I really don't know how they believe they are working in the interests of the public.
Here's your problem.
https://www.parliament.nz/mi/mps-and-electorates/electorate-profiles/dunedin-electorate-profile/
They know they are guaranteed your vote.
And the answer to that? Vote them out!
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