Our role

To prepare for New Zealand’s biggest choices as a nation, we need evidence based information that will help us to understand the issues, weigh up the potential trade-offs, and make informed decisions.  Ensuring our communities and decision-makers have ready access to relevant, trustworthy information and expert advice is critical to a thriving New Zealand.

We do this through public outreach, education, and by supporting the research community. We also provide advice and information to government and the public on issues of public concern.

We celebrate those at the top of their fields with medals, awards and prizes; and provide standards of ethics and professional behaviour which our members have to abide by.

We are an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation.  People can join us as friends, affiliated members, professional members or be elected as Fellows or Companions.

Our functions

We advance and promote research and scholarly activity, the pursuit of knowledge.

Our act talks about science, technology and humanities. In practice that includes engineering, applied science, and social sciences; and effectively the pursuit of knowledge in general.

We foster a culture that supports science, technology, and the humanities by:

• raising public awareness, knowledge, and understanding
• advancing education.

We will encourage, promote, and recognise excellence.

We support infrastructure for professional development.

We maintain a Code of Professional Standards and Ethics.

We provide expert advice on important public issues.

You can read our Act for more.