Announcement: NZAS joins Save Science Coalition

A coalition to save science in Aotearoa New Zealand has formed. The following is an email from the co-presidents of New Zealand Association of Scientists.

Tēnā koe,

The New Zealand Association of Scientists has signed up to be part of the Save Science Coalition, which has just been launched. The Save Science Coalition is running a campaign opposing the cuts to science we are currently seeing across the public sector.

The Save Science Coalition has the following goals:

Oppose cuts to science funding and science staff across government institutions;
Highlight and catalogue what is being lost through these cuts;
Defend support for world-leading indigenous research including mātauranga Māori;
Make the case for a foundation of support for public science and re-commit to a target of 2% of GDP to be invested in research and development in Aotearoa New Zealand.

You will be well aware of the ongoing government announcements, media stories, and cuts to public funding across the science sector, and some of you will be directly affected by these cuts also. The National Science Challenges are ending. Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways has been canned. The Wellington Science City programme has been taken off the table. Announcements are being made in publicly funded organisations about mass redundancies of science staff, alongside other funding streams drying up for science organisations. This is happening on top of the existing university funding crisis.

We know that investment in science and research creates future wealth for Aotearoa New Zealand, helps us address the challenges we face in Aotearoa New Zealand such as climate change, resilience, and our growing and aging population, and allows our country to prosper. We are concerned about large parts of the science workforce moving overseas to find work, which will take decades to reverse and rebuild. This has devastating impacts in areas where knowledge of our landscapes, hazards, ecosystems, and people is globally unique. We are particularly concerned about harm cuts will cause to world-leading indigenous research, including mātauranga Māori that can only be done in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Save Science Coalition are currently putting together a detailed document about what is being lost through these cuts. While scientists and other staff at science organisations are well aware of the negative effects cuts to science can have, the purpose of this research will be to help the general public understand what our country stands to lose.

There will be further campaign events and activities as we progress, including opportunities for NZAS members to be involved. The NZAS Council will be involved in determining future campaign events. If you have ideas for campaign activities we could discuss with the Save Science Coalition, please get in touch.

YOU CAN HELP!

Please forward this information to anyone you think might be interested. If you are a member of, or you are aware of, other organisations which you think might be aligned with our objectives, please put them in touch with us so we can get them on board. The more support we have, the better we can get our message across. Please see contact details at the end of this email.

Please also like and share the Save Science Coalition facebook page.

The current “Save Science Coalition” members are:

New Zealand Association of Scientists

Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union

Academic Freedom Aotearoa

NZ Society of Endocrinology

NZ Ecological Society

NZCTU | Te Kauae Kaimahi

Physiological Society of New Zealand

New Zealand Institute of Forestry

Geoscience Society of New Zealand