I worked in the Department of Conservation (DoC) for 10 years and there wasn't a lot of putting your feet up; I've now worked in the private sector for coming up eight years and, you know what, I'm not astonished by their greater efficiencies. There are hard workers in both worlds and there are good systems in both worlds - plus the odd frustrating challenge spread pretty evenly across.
You may be picking up on a pet peeve of mine, this idea that Government should be more "business-like". Being "business-like" is not the same as being like a business. What we really should be saying is: "Be more professional."
Business and government both need to be professional, but I'm frustrated by the message that if government was more business-like, everything would be better.
We have plenty of controversial examples, too, like charter schools, reports of WINZ case managers stopping work to applaud when one of their "clients" gets a job, and Department of Conservation redirection to find so-called "value exchanges" with the private sector.
I was pretty disappointed to read how far DoC had shifted when I read a recent job advert for a partnerships manager in the local paper - it said you needed business management experience at a senior level while understanding of conservation was desirable but not essential. How can understanding of DoC's "business" not be essential?
There's also been concern expressed on Radio New Zealand this week about DoC's increasing level of reliance on volunteers. Interesting for me, as someone who has worked on volunteering from all angles, managing DoC volunteer programmes, organising corporate volunteer teams and as a lifelong volunteer myself.
Community involvement brings huge benefits but I fear the DoC balance is slipping and conservation outcomes for the birds and bush will suffer.
A lot of conservation places are steep, rugged and inaccessible, which is why I am happy to pay taxes towards aerial-delivered 1080 to keep our forests healthy.
Retired tramping club members and the sprinkling of Forest & Bird members under 50 are not going to cut the mustard forever.
In the past week, we've had the Royal Society release two significant research reports - one into New Zealand's green economic opportunities and the second highlighting the challenges and costs of pests on our biodiversity.
As the reports outline, government has a valid role to play in both these areas. So does business. And we know we wouldn't survive without community groups, service clubs, retired people, stay-at-home-mums and volunteers.
But we have to be clear on what each of our responsibilities are - we need to complement each other, not replace or confuse our roles.
There is growth in what could be called the fourth sector - social enterprise. An entrepreneurial model that starts in the charity world but takes the best from the business world to become self-sufficient ... dare I say "sustainable".
But that is another column without even touching on my own profession, corporate social responsibility.
To finish with a line stolen from the Australian Greens (and go Palmy-born Scott Ludlam in today's Western Australia by-election), at the end of the day we live in a society, not an economy.
Nicola Young is a former Department of Conservation manager who now works for global consultancy AECOM. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.
