The weekend’s events in Chile and their impact in New Zealand showed us some important things about the nature of public service.
In an emergency, we can rely on our public broadcaster, Radio New Zealand, to keep us informed. Unlike other broadcasters, Radio New Zealand set aside its normal programming to make sure that we all had the information we needed to keep safe. That’s what the public sector ethos is about. If you rely on commercial broadcasters for your information, bad luck. Mustn’t get in the way of those advertising breaks.
Without fuss, public servants turned out over the weekend to staff the emergency services. There were some tough calls to make and no doubt there will now be voices raised saying the Ministry of Civil Defence over-reacted. That’s also what the public sector ethos is about – acting to preserve public safety and keeping the public interest always in mind. And soaking up the criticism of those who are wise in hindsight.
Some early comment on the devastation in Chile indicates that the quality of Chilean buildings and the rigour of the building code there have helped save many lives. We should take heed of that. When Rodney Hide, in the name of deregulation, tries to tinker with the standards of our buildings and building inspections, let’s not forget about public safety in our earthquake-prone country.
