A $30,000 innovation fund created to stir ideas among Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff is the source of six new projects.
The regional council's ‘Bright Ideas Innovation Fund' was established in August last year to encourage staff to think innovatively and to improve the value and outcomes of the regional council's work.
A Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff idea is to work with Bay of Plenty Polytechnic students to create a text messaging service for the Bay Hopper service.
The fund received 12 applications, and six projects have been selected for funding by a selection panel, which included management and staff.
The first of these six ideas is that of the council's rivers operations manager, Bruce Crabbe.
He has the idea to use dairy effluent ponds to initiate a food chain to support production of fish species for commercial production or to replenish native fish stocks.
The process will ensure nutrient-free water is discharged to coastal areas, provide an alternative use for low lying marginal land and use wetlands and drainage canals for fish production.
This project has received $7500.
Environmental scientist Jonathan Freeman's idea is to identify suitable alternative horticultural land uses in Rotorua, such as growing cut flowers to encourage reduction of high nitrate use and maintain economic viability for dairy farmers.
Dairy effluent could be used to generate heat and provide fertiliser.
This project has received $7500.
The third successful idea is that of the council's project implementation officer, Sam Weiss.
His idea is a design for a retro fitted wastewater treatment system, which would meet permitted water quality requirements in the Rotorua area as a cheaper option than an advanced reticulated system. The system would be trialled for eight months.
This project has received $7000.
Council sustainable farming advisor John Paterson's idea is for an automated coordination system to more efficiently use the regional council's vehicles.
Staff would be able to check where and when other staff are travelling between the council's offices to save duplication.
This project has received $5000.
Wiki Mooney's $2000 idea is for motivational speaker Marcus Akuhata Brown to speak to staff to encourage them to push beyond their boundaries and achieve their goals.
And the sixth successful idea is that of the council's transport operations officer Mike Furniss and senior transport planner Emlyn Hatch.
Their idea is to engage Bay of Plenty Polytechnic technology students to develop smart phone applications or text messaging services for bus network information.
This project has received $1000.
The council's corporate services group manager Brian Trott says business cases and feasibility studies would be done and a project management monitoring and review system put in place to track each project's performance.
Another round of applications from staff to the Bright Ideas Innovation Fund begins later this year.
14 comments
‘Bright Ideas Innovation Fund’ WTF?
Posted on 11-04-2011 12:49 | By SpeakUp
'...to encourage staff to think innovatively and to improve the value and outcomes of the regional council's work...” The IRONY of it! I have an idea, although NOT innovative but as old as corrupt parasitic bureaucracy: Stop all non-core Council spending, thin out the bureaucracy and regulatory bog, sack the spendrift pack of Crosby, Stewart et alt., prosecute directors of TCAL, TCVL, CCO et alt. for neglect and corruption, and get in some people with integrity and prudence. See, saving was never easier.
Posted on 11-04-2011 13:39 | By silent no more
'Bay of Plenty Regional Council'... not your fore mentioned rant
SpeakUp that is Brilliant
Posted on 11-04-2011 13:44 | By The author of this comment has been removed.
. . . I couldnt agree more. Absolutely brilliant solution. These things should be a prerequisite to actually getting IN THERE in the first place. Trying to find a wanna-be bureaucrat with integrity and prudence will be the stumbling block I fear (they havent taught the meaning of those words in school for a very long time). I will put MONEY on the fact that the winner of this award will suggest something that involves Robbing and Looting from the ratepayers instead of solutions that involve getting things done of peoples free will - ie private enterprise, which in itself will be achieving MORE OF THE SAME - Not innovation at all - but further rapeing and pillaging of the ratepayers. I wait in anticipation.
Those with no idea
Posted on 11-04-2011 14:16 | By cinik
Get paid to have no idea every week. How about as a motivation they don't get paid unless they come up with ideas.
SNM...Does it matter?
Posted on 11-04-2011 14:39 | By SpeakUp
Regional Council - City Council...Filth pools of rape and pillage of public funds for delusions of grandeur and handouts to cronies and favorites of the council. One has to ask: Do we need a multi-layered governance where the functionaries have generated a system of 'administration' not geared towards the public good but constructed to feed a self-serving existence. The people didn't mind as long as this lavish extravaganza of drones was financed by debt and expansion of the economy. But, apart from the fact that this waste is not congruent with the integrity of public service, this is not sustainable anymore. Times have changed and will change even more. Thank you for your point though.
whoa......
Posted on 11-04-2011 15:43 | By Mr bay
Speak up, man some councilor must have really done the dirty on you...or are you an ousted councilor.
@ Mr bay
Posted on 11-04-2011 16:10 | By SpeakUp
None of that. I have no personal gripe with any bureaucrat nor have I been member of the Council nor am I affiliated with any political ideology. I am a ratepayer working damn hard for my earnings and it gets up my nose not only to feed parasites but also to see my community suffer and harmed. Like many others who have yet to express their opinion (just wait until reality bites) I simply had enough. Silence is collusion. Speak up before it's too late. Because "A nation of sheep will be governed by wolves." ---Edward R. Murrow---
Remember
Posted on 11-04-2011 17:12 | By Tony
The good old days when if you had a good idea you put it forward and didnt expect a fist full of dollars for being of value , And the boss woud thank you, If it was a gooie kick it upstairs ...The company got stonger the people had good jobs and were payed well some even progressed thru the ranks to management Some ran for public office ........Seems thats where in fell down
Will Rogers
Posted on 11-04-2011 17:14 | By cinik
"We are the first nation to starve to death in a storehouse that's overfilled with everything we want"
IN THE REAL WORLD
Posted on 11-04-2011 17:48 | By TERMITE
Coming up with ideas is why you keep your job. Council is different, they are over paid, under worked and if someone trips (assuming that they are actually moving) of themselves and falls on the light switch they get paid for that to. WOW WOW WOW
Just the beginning
Posted on 11-04-2011 18:59 | By tibs
Here's the nub of it: "The council's corporate services group manager Brian Trott says business cases and feasibility studies would be done and a project management monitoring and review system put in place to track each project's performance." The first money is only seed money, the real costs come with the burgeoning bureaucracy to "monitor" it. A quick look on iTunes and there are bus timetable apps there, one of which has information for: Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Wellington and Austin, Texas. So the apps must be available for various centres but of course, our people will re-invent the wheel, all in the name of "encouraging staff to think innovatively and to improve the value and outcomes of the regional council's work." This of course was the proposal that received the smallest funding.
Already done....
Posted on 12-04-2011 10:22 | By Chris
Smart phone integration already exists with our bus system - go to your Google Maps app and search for directions from A to B via public transport (an option in the Maps app). The maps app will give you walking directions to the nearest bus stop, a timetable of all of the buses for the day and the price of the trip, then walking directions from the destination stop to your final destination. The integration already exists and is already excellent.
Give Chris 30K
Posted on 12-04-2011 16:12 | By cinik
Brilliant and buy the Council Transport Manager a Laptop and copy of Google for Dummies
@ CINIK
Posted on 14-04-2011 02:36 | By SLIPPERY SALAMI
All sounds to easy and that just wont do, there is no way to do that. Truth is that they must find the hardest way to an end result, that for sure means REINVENT THE WHEEL!
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