Methane campaign is 100% politics
OPINION: We are endlessly told that livestock are responsible for half of New Zealand's total emissions.
OPINION: The shakeup to the science sector with the proposed merger of four ag related crown research institutes (CRIs) into one conglomerate has drawn little public reaction.
Perhaps surprising given the importance of science to the future prosperity of NZ and the primary sector.
Much has been made by government that putting all the ag related CRI’s into one organisation will be in the interests of NZ, but no details about the cost of the benefits of the merger have been made public. These will apparently be ‘worked through’ as part of the transition planning.
The concept of a mega ag science institution sounds enticing, but the question remains, is big best? Will the new conglomerate deliver better science and be agile to change, or end up being another unwieldy bureaucratic conglomerate with a new logo? Size is not a guarantee of performance!
Former politician Steven Joyce noted in a newspaper article: “It’s a pity that the emphasis appears to be more on structure than delivery” and that “the merger is likely to be costly, distracting and achieve little” and has the hallmarks of rearranging the deckchairs in the science system.
Surprising to many is that the main gatekeeper of science funding, the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), wasn’t reviewed in tandem with the CRI’s. To leave them out of this review is questionable. Scientists have long complained that the biggest problem they face is dealing with MBIE’s complex ‘bureaucratic nightmare’ system to get bids for funding accepted.
There is talk of a review of MBIE and a proposal to create new science ministry. We had one of those in 1990’s and early 2000’s. So, is it back to square one again?
Finally, and most importantly, will there be more money for science in the future, and will there be better communication of science as the result of the report? Don’t hold your breath!
Peter Burke is the founder of the Science Communicators Association of NZ
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
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Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.