2024 Metge Medal: Decades of dedication to housing research and development
Dr Kay Saville-Smith, of the Centre for Research, Evaluation and Social Assessment, has been awarded the Metge Medal by Royal Society Te Apārangi for her three decades of work at the forefront of housing research in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Kay's work to understand the housing and other needs of seniors, Māori, new settlers, Pacific peoples, and young and disabled people has transcended asking the question ‘what is wrong?’ and has deepened understanding of incentives and disincentives to innovation and change.
Her research has forged national and global links with stakeholders in community housing, rental housing, retirement villages, and the building industry.
Kay’s leadership and mentoring has helped to develop the careers of many people. She has held this ‘quiet background role’ of mentoring students and early-career researchers for many years, creating opportunities for them to excel through working with experienced researchers on a range of projects.
Her social science consultancy, the Centre for Research, Evaluation and Social Assessment, focuses on community development and sustainability, including the crisis of affordable housing, and supply and demand for Māori housing.
Kay led significant research programmes in the National Science Challenge ‘Building Better Homes Towns and Cities,’ including ‘Affordable Housing for Future Generations’ which was structured around bicultural co-leadership. She also led the innovative ‘Life When Renting’ programme in the ‘Ageing Well’ National Science Challenge.
The selection committee noted Kay’s dedication to developing other researchers throughout their careers, to knowledge exchange, and to the right of all to access and understand research about the things that shape their lives.
Committee members were also impressed by her ability to communicate the relevance of research, which has been reflected in the priority she gives to talking with and assisting industry, practitioners, and communities.
Kay says she feels very honoured to receive an award that celebrates the enormous contribution of Dame Joan Metge as well as the accumulated work of subsequent recipients.
“Thank you to those involved in the process, nominees and referees, to all my co-researchers and the people and communities who have generously worked with us, and all those who have funded that research. May the Royal Society Te Apārangi continue to support and promote good science that does good.”
Metge Medal:
For a social scientist who has shown excellence not only in their research, but also in creating opportunities for others in the field.
This medal is named in honour of Dame Joan Metge, who promoted cross-cultural awareness between Pakeha and Māori, and mentored many other researchers in addition to her own achievements in research.
Citation:
To Kay Saville-Smith for her work at the forefront of New Zealand housing research, working with communities, government, and private and public sectors.