Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive Update

Kia ora koutou.

I have recently read a paper by Dr Wayne Ngata which starts with a phrase that struck a particular chord with me:

"Kanohi ki te kanohi or face-to-face communication is a facet of human behaviour. It is indeed a key principal of being and doing as Māori… This is what sustains our particular way of being and doing, and provides a platform for progress into the future."

In my experience, meeting face-to-face is an extremely important facet of human behaviour generally. After all the restrictions and general uncertainty of the past two years, the Society is actively working on creating more opportunities for us to meet together across the whole membership of the Society and our broader stakeholder base.

Next week, as the Secretariat for the Prime Minister's Science Prizes, we have an event in Wellington to award and celebrate these prizes, hosted by Hon Dr Megan Woods and Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall, and I am visiting Auckland to meet with a range of members and stakeholders. The meeting of the Society’s Council in Hawke’s Bay on 5-6 May gave us the opportunity to meet with branch members and visit the Hawke’s Bay Te Matau-a-Māui research facility of Plant & Food Research.  A number of my colleagues are also on the road at the moment as we reinvigorate programmes that have been deeply impacted by COVID. 

In mid-April we invited all Fellows of the Society to a half-day forum to discuss a range of topics that have been raised by Fellows over the last few months. It was an important opportunity for the leadership of the Society to listen to, and engage with, our Fellows.  The meeting was also a positive reminder of how much we have to gain through meeting with each other… in the spirit of listening to understand rather than simply to reply, to butcher a quote from Stephen Covey.

The inputs received from that meeting have been very helpful and, in follow-up, the Council has discussed and agreed some immediate actions:

• We have issued a clarification of the process related to the complaints received in relation to the letter published in July 2021 in the Listener magazine, and the statement made by the Society at that time. View message from the President of the Society, along with supporting documents.
• Looking ahead, and as mentioned briefly in my previous update, we are initiating the development of a long-term strategy that addresses key questions such as (but not limited to):
  • What is our vision for the organisation over the next 20-years, including the role of a learned society in addressing contemporary societal challenges and being relevant in an increasingly complex and fast-moving world? 
  • How should we express our partnership with tangata whenua, and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and mātauranga Māori?
  • How should we take account of inclusivity and transdisciplinarity?
  • What outputs will we have to demonstrate this relevance (e.g., publications, expert advice to government, public programmes, seminars and conferences…)?
  • What is the role of all parts of our membership in achieving our vision?
  • What is the particular role of Fellows in this?
  • What role should we play for government and the public?
  • What role should we play in international networks? 

The Council and executive leadership of the Society will be having an in-depth discussion on the form and timeline required to develop this strategy.  I would like to reinforce the importance we place on meeting with our members and external stakeholders in order to progress this important long-term strategic planning work.  There will be more to follow in due course!

In the meantime, ngā manaakitanga,

Paul

Paul Atkins
Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive