Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to Te Ara Paerangi Community!

Yesterday, Minister Collins dropped a bombshell on our already besieged public research sector. Abrupt changes to the Marsden and Catalyst Funds came as a surprise to all across the research sector. There is plenty being written about why this is bad, who it may affect and how, what it all means, etc. I won't rehash that here. This post is about coming together to work out a path to a public research sector that works for everyone.

You are reading this because it is important to you that someone does something about what is happening in research and all across the public sector. We are all in the same boat. This is us and it is us who must do something. This site was created three years ago to encourage participation and sharing of expertise in the Te Ara Paerangi / Future Pathways research system reform process. We had some success with that - collaborating, teaching and learning, and having a place to do it. That process was scuttled when this government came in. That was disheartening for so many who had put their time and energy, heart and tears into it.

As with so many other public services, cut after cut has been made in the research sector. Some overt, others quietly just letting things end (e.g. national science challenges). The announcements yesterday are a policy change in kind, not in degree. We are all right in being very, very concerned; angry even. The many years of neoliberalism, managerialism, and hyper-competition in our under resourced system have conditioned many away from working together for the good of everyone. We must overcome that, now. This includes organisations as well as individuals.

To join the Te Ara Paerangi Community site: request an invitation here.

‍What we are offering here is a place to organise, to collaborate, to build community, to plan, to work to effect change. Some things in the near term. Others with a longer time frame.

Your help is needed to make these things happen. In the now, there two areas where expertise and effort are needed:

• Organisation Building / Governance
• People interested informing the process needed to form a diverse and appropriately skilled steering group.
• People who have time and interest in being a chair / member of the steering group.
• Aiming for an online hui in mid-January. Sooner is possible if someone can take on the organising.
• Technical & Testing Group
• People who have experience administering content management systems.
• People with skills in user interface design.
• People who like to write how to documents.
• People who know none of the above and can tell us what is not working for them or is confusing.

When you look at the lists above and you see your skills in one of the items, put something in the comments. It is so important that we see each other putting our hands up to do the mahi.

Just a few weeks ago, I shifted the site to a server in Aotearoa. I did not anticipate yesterday's news, so it is not quite where I want it to be. There is a bit more technical work to be done so that the direct messaging can be enabled again. At the same time, in site video conferencing will be added. Once there is a steering group, we will re-evaluate how the site is set up based on the needs of the community.

‍Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. Together, we can build a better future in Aotearoa. Tell your colleagues, your whanau, and your mates about this effort.

Ngā mihi nui,

Rob

Government's Marsden Fund cuts: All humanities, social sciences research funding slashed | RNZ News

Cutting all research funding for the fields is a massive step backwards, critics say.

www.rnz.co.nz