Otago Institute for the Arts and Sciences
Read about the Otago Branch of the Royal Society Te Apārangi
Formed: 1851 (as the Mechanics Institute)
Known founding members: Thomas Burns, James Macandrew, John McGlashan, William Cargill
The Otago Institute became part of the New Zealand Institute seven years before the province itself capitulated to the sovereign authority of central government. This branch has a history of healthy, topical debate, including Hector’s erroneous computation of the longtitude of Wellington, proposals against Haast and the extinction of the Moa, and the date of the Ahuriri formation in Hawkes Bay, which eventually drew in geologists from all over the country.
Today, the Branch continues its support of local researchers through community engagement, public talks, and scholarships, awards and prizes for primary, secondary and tertiary students.
Read more History of the Otago Institute for the Arts and Sciences
Become a member: http://otagoinstitute.otago.ac.nz/membership