* News from the Taxpayers’ Union –
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act request that Landcare Research gave $4,027,020 on the Oranga (Wellbeing) Project – including treating Kauri dieback with potions made from Whale-oil and music from whale song (yes, seriously) as part of the MBIE-administered National Science Challenges.
Research methods in this project included healing Kauri trees through using “sonic samples of healthy whales to construct a tapestry of rejuvenation and wellbeing.”
Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said “when did science become a laughing stock?”
Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said “when did science become a laughing stock?”
“Kauri dieback is a natural disaster. I’m no biologist, but I can confidently say a whale-song mix-tape isn’t going to stop it. Nor are pagan potions made from whale-oil on the basis, apparently, that whales once walked the Earth and are the brothers of Kauri trees.
“At the same time the Government’s plugging economic growth through science and innovation, we find out that the Strategic Science Investment Fund has been used to play nautical noises at trees.
“The Taxpayers’ Union are all for blue-sky thinking. But if the Government’s chucking millions at any ‘research’ project which comes begging, a common-sense check might be needed if even this one’s made it past the keeper.
“At $4 million, the very least taxpayers could at least expect is a copy of the CD.”
Point of Order is a blog focused on politics and the economy run by veteran newspaper reporters Bob Edlin and Ian Templeton
9 comments:
This is typical far left bs at its extreme. I want the name of this govt lunatic that approved this absolute waste of taxpayers money, to make a complaint about them. They should be ashamed of themselves and if they aren't they have serious issues starting with a lack of common sense.
They should be fired immediately, if I made a $4m blunder like this in my business I would be bankrupt. Shame on this loser, but what does it matter, it's taxpayers money, it's there for absurdly dumb projects like playing music to trees, right? Wrong. They need to be held accountable.
Said it before and will say it again ... For NZ the core issue is not what is needed to build the economy up but to deal with that which is dragging it down and sadly Luxon either cannot see it or simply does not want to. The Taxpayer Union does a wee bit of forensic analysis and finds yet another vein where our economy is bleeding out and Luxon blithely continues to turn a blind eye. Guess I must be stupid to think the sink holes embedded in our financial system that are keeping the gravy train going can ever be plugged.
Kauri dieback has been captured by maori as a boundless provider of mana and income opportunity. I attended a meeting a few years ago where one of the govt employed explained in all seriousness how he kept dieback from his farm by praying to the trees. A member of the audience castigated me for my very mild comment! A host of contracts have been let to maori staffed outfits for various spurious "research" and reports. It has been hugely exploited as a device to inconvenience the public and hence gain mana. The vast ratepayer funded Waitakere Regional park is all off limits except for specified tracks now reconstructed as utterly boring footpaths and boardwalks of almost no interest or use to the adventurous, tramping clubs, oldie walking groups, youth groups, scouts etc. For fear of cancellation, no one dares call out the nonsense.
Your readers might want to read the rest of this story:-
"Here's what the four million paid for:
Sonic tapestries of rejuvenation and well-being.
About the project
The Oranga (wellbeing) project was set up to fight against kauri dieback and myrtle rust and consisted of five “research projects”.
1 Rongoā solutions for kauri ora
2 The language of the domain of Tāne
3 Hapū solutions for myrtle rust
4 The sovereignty of seed
5 A ‘Critical Friend’ approach
The whale song feeds into the first two points of the project, and the project was carried out by an organisation Te Tira Whakamātaki Limited (which received the funds).
So who is Te Tira Whakamātaki Limited? 🧐
As part of this investigation, we've uncovered that the "research" was outsourced to a private "not for profit" company: Te Tira Whakamātaki Limited.
And that's when we came to a stunning realisation – which now explains why the departments have been so cagey about giving us information on the project...
According to Te Tira Whakamātaki Ltd's website, its "Co-funder and Trustee" is Melanie Mark-Shadbolt.
And here's the startling thing: Ms Mark-Shadbolt is also the Co-Director of the very same BioHeritage Science Challenge Science – i.e. the Government initiative funding the project!
I had the team work through the finances and Charities Commission records of Ms Mark-Shadbolt's company. The company's costs are almost entirely salaries (surprise, surprise!), and its charitable purpose is merely "Provides advice, information, and advocacy".
Nice work if you can get it.
Why aren't the media asking questions?
"$4,027,020 on the Oranga (Wellbeing) Project".
Well that's taxpayer money well spent. After all, our countries infrastructure is tip top.
Anon at 10.40am. Great work. However you ask why the media aren't asking questions. We pretty much know why our racist far left tvnz friends are not interested in this story, they are to busy making up lies and trying to convince us to turn against the common sense centre right. Shame, shame, shame. If this involved Winston or Seymour then it would be headline news for days.
My new kowhai seedling is dieing. Where do I apply for my grant so I can hire a nose-flute player to weave a tapestry of rejeuvenation and wellbeing around it?. The kowhai identifies as a native so it must tick all the right boxes.
i had a kauri on my section. I attended a die back meeting about the Regional Park.. When i learned what a nightmare a diseased tree on private property could be i promptly infected mine with elctric chain saw disease. it is prudent advice for most native trees anywhere, and especialy in urban areas..
A small study to test the Maori theory of healing through restoring Kauri-Whale contact because they were once brothers, may be justified on the basis of respect for 'Maori ways of knowing'. However, this not-so-small project has no research aspect to it. Even after all the money has been spent and the trees have enjoyed multiple concerts of whale sonatas and been massaged copiously with whale-based KY jelly, nobody will be able to say whether the theory was supported by results. Results will not be measured or subjected to probability calculations. Experimental control of other variables will not be bothered with (e.g. there might be some improvement reported - through casual observation - but we won't be able to know whether that was due to the music therapy or to helpful weather that year).
Regarding the KY jelly, we trust the trees gave informed consent.
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