Clive Bibby: Six Men to a Shovel

During the eight decades of my lifetime (most of it living in parts of rural New Zealand), there have been times when agencies responsible for public works appear to be grossly overmanned and demonstrably inefficient users of our money no matter how big or small the job they have to do.

It is almost part of Kiwi folk law that jobs in the public service are protected from all the challenges faced by private enterprise on a daily basis.