Tā te tumuaki | Message from the Society President – Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding
Tēnā koutou katoa,
The changes to the Marsden Fund have come as a shock, with significant implications for many of us as individuals, for our institutions, for the quality and range of original research generated in our country, and for the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Over the past week, I’ve been contacted by many Fellows, both in this country and internationally, about these new directives from the government. Some of you have expressed support for the emphasis on specific sciences. Many more are dismayed and concerned – including scholars from all disciplines. We’ve also had a range of messages from our Companions, our broader membership, from partner organisations, and from researchers across the sector. It is heartening to see this solidarity across our Academy and across our Society.
The Academy Executive Committee and the Council both met in person last week, and the Marsden Fund Council has also met several times to consider the situation, the feedback and the appropriate response. This week, I joined the Marsden Fund Council in a meeting with the Minister of Science, Innovation, and Technology.
We have agreed that our first responsibility is to minimise disruption for researchers, and staff are prioritising the launch of the funding round for 2025. As part of commemorating the 30 years since the Marsden Fund was established, we will also prioritise communication on the value generated by the humanities and social sciences, and the importance of long-term investment in these fields.
We will continue to provide input to the ongoing reviews of the science system and the university sector, emphasising that to enable the potential economic benefits from innovation in science, engineering, and technology, knowledge from experts in the social sciences and humanities will be vital. Finally, we will redouble our efforts to support the social sciences and humanities through a range of mechanisms and activities in addition to funding.
With regard to governance of our Society, you will have seen from my previous messages that there was excellent engagement on the proposal for restructure of our Council. It was a pleasure to meet many of you during the 10 consultation meetings. We have received more than 70 submissions regarding the proposal, and more than half of these were from Fellows. Thank you for taking the time to send us your views and for your very valuable suggestions.
On 5 December, the Council considered all feedback from the Society’s membership about the proposal for governance restructure, along with a revised proposal based on this feedback.
The revised proposal envisaged a slightly larger Council than indicated in the consultation document, including two Council Members elected by the Māori Electoral College, two by the Fellows, one by the Branches, and two by other members of the Society, all elections to be based on a skills matrix.
The Council agreed to consider this or a revised proposal at its February meeting, after work is completed on potential changes needed to the Rules and Governance Charter, revisions to the matrix of knowledge, skills, and experience required on Council, and development of proposals to optimise engagement and communications between the membership, the Council and the staff of the Society.
On a very different note, it is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Professor Angus MacFarlane CNZM FRSNZ. Angus was a world-leading scholar and a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi since 2018. I came to know Angus through his role in the Academy Executive, where he was always so very generous and genuine in his many contributions. He helped establish the Māori Electoral College, and his expertise has been important in shaping the way our current fellowship selection process works. His wisdom and insights, always shared with aroha, will be sorely missed. A whakataukī that Angus loved was: He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka | a choppy sea can be navigated. It conveys a message of resilience, determination, and perseverance.
The Research Honours events for 2024 have highlighted the superb depth and breadth of scholarship in Aotearoa New Zealand and allowed us to celebrate with the awardees and their supporters. These awards are an important reminder of the talent in our midst and of the importance of acknowledging this: holding up to the light those achievements so often undertaken in enclosed and darkened spaces, figuratively if not literally. On which note, who could fail to be uplifted by Professor Selina Tusitala Marsh FRSNZ, our former Poet Laureate, who not only conducted each event as MC maestro, but opened each evening with her specially written poem “The Long Light”, and even added a personal poem for each award recipient. Congratulations to all involved. If you missed this year’s events, you missed a treat. Be sure to put them on your calendar for next year.
Before each Research Honours event there was opportunity for Fellows to meet and discuss topics of interest. These sessions were well attended and traversed a range of topics. One question we asked at each meeting was how Fellows would like to be further engaged with the activities of the Society, and we welcome this dialogue. Public speaking, peer review, and committee membership are some options, but you will perhaps have other things you would like to contribute?
May you all have the opportunity over the holiday season to celebrate with those who are important to you and relax after the challenges of the year. In 2025 we will redouble our efforts to achieve our shared vision of an Aotearoa New Zealand guided and inspired by science and research – not least by research in the social sciences and humanities.
Meri Kirihimete me te Tau Hou.
Jane Harding
President, Royal Society Te Apārangi