Chief Executive Update | Our role in the wider world
The Society has long held this country’s membership of what is now called the International Science Council (ISC) – the recently reconstituted peak body for natural and social sciences worldwide.
This is an important linkage through which we can contribute to bringing forward science to inform decisions on global issues. By participating, we also learn from other similar national organisations. Professor Sir Peter Gluckman FRS FRSNZ is the President-elect and forms part of a new team that is determined to bring the voice and perspective of science much more into the international domain. From time to time we bring you news of what ISC is doing.
At the time of the re-introduction of the humanities to the Society, we became New Zealand’s representative in the relevant peak body – Union Académique Internationale (UAI). The Royal Society of New Zealand Act sets our domains as ‘science, technology and humanities’ so between ISC and UAI we have been covering two out of three. We hope that is about to improve. The peak body for technology is known as CAETS – Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences. It had a practice of only recognising narrow technology-specific academies, but that has changed, and we have applied to be the first multi-disciplinary academy to join. Representatives of CAETS will be visiting us in May to assure themselves that we do sufficiently include the nature of an engineering and technology academy, and we expect the formal outcome of our application at a meeting of CAETS Council in late June.
In addition to these formal representation roles, we also seek to collaborate with our Pacific neighbours and maintain regular contact with some of the larger research organisations there. We try to identify opportunities for involving Pacific researchers in activities that they themselves see as beneficial. Lastly, with MBIE support we assist this nation’s membership in many discipline-specific international scientific unions.
All told, for a modest amount of investment, we feel the Society is active in the right places for benefitting New Zealand and pulls its weight.
Andrew Cleland - Chief Executive Royal Society Te Apārangi
Royal Society Te Apārangi: 29 April