Message from Academy Chair

Tēnā koutou katoa. Greetings to all Fellows, Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi. 

For all of us hoping that 2023 might start with a little more certainty and regularity than we have experienced since 2020, the cyclones and flooding have brought abrupt rethinking. To those who have lost family, friends or colleagues; homes or businesses; crops or taonga of any and all kinds, my condolences.

We are reminded of the escalation in extremes, those which are clearly evident in climate events and patterns, and the human, economic, political and cultural responses which they provoke. In the decisions that clearly lie ahead, the input of expertise such as that held in the Academy will be vital. Existing bodies of knowledge held in research communities, in publications and other forms together with the communication of that research, and setting priorities for future work have never been more important. There will be numerous ways in which members of the Academy will be involved in the work ahead. Some will be immediate and local, other projects will be of longer term and extend broadly. Our efforts in Aotearoa New Zealand extend both to specific locales across the country (especially those seriously affected in recent events) and to international research exchanges with our colleagues in many parts of the world.

The annual election of Fellows took place just as Cyclone Gabrielle was ebbing. We look forward to welcoming our new Fellows, Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi, at a celebration event on 27 April. This will take place at the Royal Society Te Apārangi building in Turnbull Street, Wellington, with video recording of the new Fellow presentations, and Zoom options for the Fellows Forum for those who cannot attend in person. The strength and depth of research expertise in Aotearoa New Zealand was powerfully evident in the annual round. 

In association with the New Fellows’ welcome the annual Fellows’ Forum will take place. I urge you to take part. View the notes from the 2022 Forum.

Members of the Academy continue to perform important work as members of domain panels, on award and medal panels, in expert advice groups, and as RSNZ representatives on a range of bodies (for example, Dr Wendy Nelson FRSNZ is serving as the Society nominee on the New Zealand Conservation Authority, and Fellows serving as national delegates to international unions, i.e.:

• Professor Laura Bennet FRSNZ - International Union for Physiological Sciences
• Professor Susy Frankel FRSNZ -  Union Académique Internationale
• Professor John Harvey FRSNZ -  International Commission for Optics
• Professor Robyn Longhurst FRSNZ - Association of Asian Social Science Research Council
• Dr Nick Mortimer FRSNZ - International Union of Geological Sciences
• Professor Cather Simpson FRSNZ - International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences

Thank you to all of you who are contributing in these extremely valuable ways.

Work on Te Ara Paerangi – Future Pathways, the Green Paper on futures in the Science, Innovation and Technology sector continues to be a subject of interest.

I look forward to seeing many of you on New Fellows’ Day later in April.

Professor Charlotte Macdonald FRSNZ
Chair, Academy Executive Committee