Success has many fathers; failure is an orphan

Our campaign to restrain and hopefully eradicate Covid-19 now clashes with the leadup to the September election

Diminishing concern about the threat from this globally devastating virus is encouraging increasingly urgent calls for a national plan to deal with the post virus economic and social recovery.

Regrettably, the approaching September election is trumping the need for a bipartisan strategy to enable New Zealand to survive and prosper throughout the difficult years ahead.

The implications of 200,000 job losses with more predicted from the decimation of key income streams such as tourism ($16 billion plus another $11 billion indirectly) and overseas students ($5 billion) has yet to fully register.

This is due in part to subsidies and preoccupation with the financial ‘Cargo Cult**’ now being scattered throughout the land.

Mainstream media has yet to examine the quality of massive government expenditure arising from the Covid Recovery Fund (CRF) and the Provincial Growth Fund (PRF).

Simply reporting the latest beneficiaries of government largess while actively promoting personality politics obscures the lack of progress in transitioning from a badly damaged economy and historic levels of unemployment to a meaningful economic reconstruction strategy featuring job creation on a scale new to New Zealand.

Facing up to reality

The situation for many businesses large and small continues to deteriorate, exacerbated by the rising cost of doing business.

While the wages subsidy scheme has been instrumental in maintaining many jobs, it ends in September with the expectation many more faltering companies will not survive.

Our closed border and harsh immigration restrictions prevent employers from recovering by using the experienced casual/seasonal workers on whom they traditionally rely.

Thousands of skilled nonresidents who returned to their homeland prior to the implementation of Level 4, have yet to return -- even if they intend to.

Major infrastructure projects and environmental improvement schemes touted as ‘shovel ready’ and most likely to employ workers displaced from the tourism, hospitality, travel and education sectors are anything but that.

Many unemployed will not be qualified or even suited to these jobs. Reportedly, locals remain reluctant to fill the gaps.

As national Covid 19 expenditure passes $35 billion and the global economic outlook continues to deteriorate, New Zealanders await a comprehensive national plan for when the money stops flowing.

Science is the new future normal

Ironically, the present planning hiatus underscores the value of an apolitical National Emergency Committee of experts able to effectively manage the crisis.

New Zealand’s Covid closedown provided the opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs now able to gain funding from investors looking to science-based rather than traditional investments.

Peter Beck’s outstanding success with the homegrown Rocket Lab launched us into the elite group of successful satellite launching countries

Chemical suppliers step up

Here on terra firma, chemical suppliers responding positively to the Covid-19 situation quickly switched to producing hand sanitisers and face masks.

Responsible Care NZ*** was able to provide timely and accurate technical and compliance advice not readily available from websites and call centres ill equipped for the new task.

Managing the chemical products required to combat a major public health crisis involves multiple, often confusing and even contradictory regulations and advice from multiple agencies, many of which have yet to master the art of effective intercommunication and collaboration.

The daily changing definition of ‘essential services’ delayed participation by many prospective manufacturers for sanitisers and protective clothing, especially the reusable facemasks and clothing needed by health workers.

Many calls to our 24/7 CHEMCALL service enabled members and nonmembers alike to identify sources for suddenly scarce raw materials together with potential customers for the sorely needed products.

The pragmatic postponement of site certification generated many safety queries, involving unsafe site operations involving less confident skeleton staff.

Importers struggled to identify and safely distribute sanitiser replacements from non-compliant safety data sheets. Callers fortunately questioned the validity of taking Bleach based ‘medicines’ to combat the virus.

Belatedly, Medsafe is taking action to remove these hazardous products from the market but variations continue to be promoted via social media and sold online.

The near-term outlook for the global chemical industry is not encouraging. Travel constraints decimated oil prices and the Northern Summer holiday period is masking the effect of employees kept out of nonessential facilities.

Increasing demand for polypropylene used in protective masks and packaging required for takeaway food and escalating online sales of merchandise is offset by falling demand for plastics in the struggling recycling industry.

Landfills

New Zealand is now facing the urgent need for new landfills to accommodate rapidly increasing amounts of household waste and no longer exportable or repurposing of plastic waste.

Local authorities are diverting plastic waste from unsuccessful recycling ventures to landfills. Proposed increases in Landfill fees will certainly exacerbate illegal dumping and add to ‘Orphan’ hazardous waste sites such as the massive chemical dump revealed in Northland. Environmentalists and potential neighbours of new landfills are mobilising while pragmatic alternatives await informed consideration.

Aspirations for 100 percent renewable energy are fuelling varying expectations over a possible short-term electricity surplus and the possibility of electrifying the national transport fleet should our remaining major industrial facilities close.

This is surely the time for a nonpartisan debate about replacing our medieval land fill concept with advanced waste to energy technology demonstrated by our Scandinavian and Singaporean environmental role models.

Vaccines

The race to develop an effective Covid vaccine requires skilled researchers. Chemistry will provide the solution to many of the issues we face, demonstrated by the defeat of Smallpox, HIV, SARS and minimising the effect of recurring Flu strains.

New Zealand has its share

Keppel Seghers Tuas wasteto-energy plant in Singapore and products, continues to Public institutions and

A Covid-19 vaccine is not

of the best scientific minds, yet we fail to maximise this sought-after national capability by underfunding educational institutions and the scientists they produce in decreasing numbers.

Researchers battle for contestable funding of projects with a commercial outcome at the expense of enlarging our world class scientific capability.

Our chemical industry, especially research facilities and pharmaceutical companies, thrive when facing global health challenges such as developing the Ebola vaccine and now the search for a Covid-19 equivalent.

It will be in New Zealand’s long-term interest to have our own vaccine.

Prescriptive regulations

companies alike require certainty, consistency, and a cost effective, business friendly environment to encourage and facilitate what we do best.

Replacing increasingly prescriptive regulations with performance-based requirements reflecting best practice and underwriting our ability to achieve the required outcome will result in superior outcomes. As ‘Impatient optimists’, Responsible Care practitioners welcome every opportunity to improve chemical safety. This ranges from investing in building our national scientific expertise to ensure we can effectively contribute to international and local efforts to combat the next pandemic to training competent chemical workers.

Applying sound chemistry throughout our operations likely any time soon

enhance our quality of life.

Be prepared

Accept that an effective Covid-19 vaccine is not likely anytime soon and remain alert to claims of ‘miracle cures.

If in doubt about making or using any chemical product, especially if alcohol is involved and methanol in particular, please check the WHO and Ministry of Health specifications available online and the NZ compliant Safety Data sheet available from your Supplier or call Responsible Care.

Frequent handwashing with soap and water provides Covid-19 protection at home and in workplaces where it is convenient to use -- reserving approved, alcohol-based sanitisers for frequent contact circumstances.

We are fortunate there is yet no community transmission now bedevilling countries with a suppression record equalling our own, as we search for an efficient contact tracing capability.

A return to Level 3 or 4 measures would be disastrous. Meanwhile, take extra care out there. We need you.

* Modern derivation of old Indian saying ** A belief system in a relatively undeveloped society in which adherents practice superstitious rituals hoping to bring modern goods supplied by a more technologically advanced society

The views expressed by Media Solutions Ltd Content Partner, Responsible Care chief executive Barry Dyer, may not necessarily be those of Responsible Care New Zealand