He Pito Mata 2026

The Society’s Early-Career Researcher Forum has planned a programme that explores the evolving landscape of research in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a strong focus on impact, wellbeing, collaboration, and future opportunities.

Topics include redefining research impact, navigating funding and career pathways, strengthening research culture, and building meaningful connections with communities, industry, and stakeholders.

A mix of keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions will highlight the realities of early-career research, including wellbeing, precarity, and workplace dynamics, while offering practical tools for resilience, communication, and leadership.

Speakers will offer insights on securing funding, collaborating internationally, and developing interdisciplinary and culturally responsive approaches to research, including Indigenous data sovereignty.

He Pito Mata will also address emerging challenges such as data integrity, the role of artificial intelligence in research, and how to effectively communicate research results, and influence change. Dedicated spaces will support whakawhanaungatanga, fostering connections across universities, research organisations, and sectors.

The full programme will be available soon! 

Additional Information

Part of the purpose of He Pito Mata is to better understand the needs, experiences, and priorities of early-career researchers in Aotearoa New Zealand. We plan to use QR-codes to collect responses to three to four short questions about each session.

Three facilitated workshops will also collect data on women in research, storytelling from a Māori perspective, and the use of AI in research. The outcome of each workshop will be an academic publication; delegates will be named authors on an academic publication for each topic.

If you have any questions please email rsnzecrforum@gmail.com

Useful Links:

Check out some of the highlights from He Pito Mata 2023.

Join the Royal Society Te Apārangi ECR Forum mailing list.

Join the Royal Society Te Apārangi ECR Forum LinkedIn page.