Our future is in true accountability in public life
December 12 1:00 PM
AUTHOR: Robin Gunston
Over the last few months NZ society has been the subject of multiple Royal Commissions, Boards of Inquiry and other investigations.
Many have shown that we have issues in NZ about where liability and accountability truly lies.
We have a complex society with many laws and rules, standards and policies which have to be complied with no matter what aspect of society we are engaged in. Most of that is derived from being a society that wishes to do its best for its citizens but there is an inbuilt cost to this that needs to be far more transparent and better understood within NZ, particulalry by those who establish businesses and organisations here.
NZ has a reputation for DIY, innovation and a can do mentality but this has to be counterbalanced with our growing complexity as a nation. Its risk versus opportunity.
What is required to make this system work is "accountability", a term we need to understand a lot better if we are to grow and not spend so much time examining reports from "disasters" for scapegoats.
That may mean effectively that everyone who is involved in any project or new development that may give risk to unmitigated risk will have to assume part of that risk at each stage- the landowner, the financier, the resource consultant, the council planner, the government policy writer, the constructor, the owner, the shareholders and so on!
That is a tall order for all of us to absorb but we need to start having greater transparency if we are to have greater accountability for all of our actions!
What ideas do you have to make such a society work?