Tā te heamana | Message from the Society’s President – Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding DNZM FRSNZ FRACP

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Already, we are almost halfway through the year, and there is plenty going on.

In April, after extensive consultation and discussion, Council agreed to modify the structure and processes of the Society’s Council, with the twin objectives of maximising the effectiveness of governance and enhancing engagement with the membership. See additional details.

The key changes addressing the first objective include a reduction in the overall size of the Council from twelve to eight (leaving unchanged the two Councillors elected by the Māori Electoral College) and the adoption of a skills matrix to guide new appointments to Council. You will have seen the first application of this matrix in the recent call for nominations for candidates for election as new Council members which closed on 30 May.  

Changes to address the second objective include 6-monthly meetings of all membership groups, attended by Council members, with a focus on matters of interest to that membership group.  Each membership group will also elect two members who are not Councillors to be key points of contact with the Society. Planning for these membership group meetings is in progress. As part of our continued efforts to engage closely with the Māori research community, a hui is also being planned for the Māori Electoral College in the near future. Invitations to attend this hui will follow in due course.

In May, I was sorry to receive Paul Atkins’ resignation as Chief Executive. Although we will have opportunity in the future to thank Paul more formally, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for his leadership over the past 4 years and for his many contributions to the Society, including our long-term strategy and his support for the Fellowship. Paul will continue in his post until the end of September, to help maintain continuity and momentum for our ambitious work plan and ensure a smooth transition to his successor. Council has already begun the search process for a new Chief Executive. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have suggestions about potential candidates for this important role.

On a more cheerful note, it was a delight and privilege to welcome the latest cohort of newly elected Ngā Ahurei Fellows and their families at New Fellows’ Day. All were elected because they have achieved international distinction in science, technology, or the humanities, as is obvious from their citations. If you were not able to hear all their fascinating presentations on the day they are now available online. The call is already out for new nominations for the Fellowship, so please encourage appropriate candidates to consider this before the deadline of 30 June, and apply.

At the Fellows’ Forum that followed New Fellows’ Day, Professor Jonathan Boston gave a thought-provoking and sobering presentation about ‘Growing threats to truth, science and democracy:  why it matters and what can be done’.  I would encourage everyone who was not there to view his PowerPoint (available on request from academy@royalsociety.org.nz). Largely as a result of the subsequent discussion, the Academy Executive has called for expressions of interest from Fellows to join a working group on addressing threats to research. We look forward to the deliberations of that group and recommendations about how we as an organisation can better support this important task in an uncertain world.

Finally, it is with great sadness that I would like to acknowledge the death in April of Dr Dianne McCarthy. Di was not only a prominent scientist and scientific leader but served the Royal Society Te Apārangi for many years as a Council member and then as Chief Executive.  In this last role she oversaw the redevelopment of our Thorndon campus, including the beautiful building we now inhabit. She was also deeply committed to supporting early career researchers and women in science. She was friend and mentor to so many of us, myself included, and will be sorely missed. He maimai aroha Di.

Ngā mihi nui

Jane Harding 

President, Royal Society Te Apārangi