Chief Executive Update

Tēnā rawa atu koutou.

Yesterday we inducted twenty-three Ngā Ahurei hou a Te Apārangi new Fellows into the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. These outstanding Fellows have been elected for their distinction in research and advancement of mātauranga Māori, humanities, technology and science. It was a pleasure to be able to hold this day of celebration in-person once again, with 19 of our new Fellows and their guests in the whare here at Royal Society Te Apārangi. The remaining 4 new Fellows attended online. Video presentations from each of the new Fellows are available.

The Fellows’ Day yesterday was, once again, a reminder of the unique place our organisation occupies in Aotearoa, and the extraordinary potential we have.

In my address to the Fellows I remarked on the imperatives facing society globally being far greater now than ever before, reflecting Johan Rockstrom’s comments about this being the most decisive decade in human history.  In this light, I am conscious of how important it is that we use the extraordinary potential of our organisation, through our Academy and the broader membership, to add value and make a positive difference within the society we live. We not only have within our membership those who have attained an outstanding level of distinction in their fields, but as a collective we are deeply and richly diverse.  And therein lies our very considerable strength as we bring our resources to bear on some of the great challenges facing humanity through our ability to foster truly transdisciplinary approaches.

As I now turn my thoughts to the work initiated last year on a longer-term strategic plan, I am looking forward to further discussions with many of you over the ideas taking shape on how we will add value and make a difference.

In closing, I would like to mention two meetings:

• I was delighted to attend the ECR Forum held on 22 April 2022, along with our President, Brent Clothier.  We were greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm expressed by all, and the willingness to engage and be actively involved in the Society.  This bodes extremely well for our future!
• We have a meeting of the Council on 5-6 May 2022 in Hawke’s Bay. This is the first face-to-face meeting of the Council for some considerable time, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to meet with branch members and also visit the Hawke’s Bay Te Matau-a-Māui research facility of Plant and Food Research.

As travel around the country becomes more straightforward I look forward to the opportunity to meet with many more of you in coming months.

In the meantime, my best wishes,

Ngā manaakitanga,

Paul Atkins
Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive

Mā te kimi ka kite, Mā te kite ka mōhio, Mā te mōhio ka mārama
Seek and discover. Discover and know. Know and become enlightened.