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SMC: Chief scientist hands off
Chief scientist hands off
There's a changing of the guard in the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor's office from this week to next.
Outgoing PMCSA Sir Peter Gluckman spoke to the NZ Herald ahead of finishing in the role after three terms; his successor, Professor Juliet Gerrard, takes over from 1 July.
Sir Peter told the NZ Herald his early years in the newly-formed role were focused on "explaining and showing the value of why evidence was worth focusing on".
"There were departments that reached out to academics, and there were some scientists buried within ministries like the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment.
"But if you think about the general level, about how the Government thought about addressing complex issues, there was really no systematic way to do it."
Now there is a team of departmental science advisors, but Sir Peter said he'd like to see more. "We clearly need one in urban affairs, one in biosecurity, one in energy and related matters, and one in the demographic area.
"And I've been like a broken record in pointing out that, even though we have a chief technology officer, we also need a science adviser for digital matters."
He expressed gratitude to the three prime ministers he had worked with. "I've never felt that any of them thought I was partisan, and I've never felt that any of them were not respectful of what we are trying to do.
"It's been a privileged position, and I've enjoyed it, but now it's time for somebody else to do it."
Sir Peter has been a strong supporter of the Science Media Centre since he took up the role and we have appreciated his staunch advocacy for evidence-based policy.
He will now focus on establishing the Centre for Science in Policy, Diplomacy and Society within the University of Auckland's Public Policy Institute.
Sir Peter also wrote an essay reflecting on his time in the role and will talk to Kim Hill tomorrow morning on Radio NZ.
Quoted: NZ Herald
"The
beautiful thing about Māori astronomy is that, like most
astronomical cultures around the world, it's a melting
together of indigenous astronomy.
"That's not just the
science around the rising and setting of different celestial
features, but also how it's embedded in ceremonies,
practices and language."
University of Waikato
astronomer Dr Rangi Matamua
on how encouraging it is to see other
cultures celebrating Matariki, and why he believes it should
be a public holiday.
No
consensus on nutrients
The Land and
Water Forum has reported back to Government with a series of
recommendation for improving water quality, but has been
unable to come to an agreement on nutrient
allocation.
Minister for the Environment David
Parker and Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor asked
the Forum in January for advice on a nationallydriven system
for allocating nutrient loads. In its report back,
the Forum suggested a staged
process for addressing allocation of nitrogen discharges,
which would add limits on nitrogen in water bodies and an
interim national framework to allow transition from current
practices.
The Forum also called for a new Land and Water
Commission to provide the capability needed for change in
addressing water quality. Environmental Defence Society CEO
Gary Taylor said this was the
most important recommendation in the report.
“There is
also a critical role for the Minister for the Environment,
with the Forum recommending the use of prohibited activity
status or moratoria to ‘stop the rot’ in catchments
where water quality is dire and councils aren’t acting
fast enough,” he said.
“In some catchments this might
mean no more cows until plans are set; in others it might be
a short term stop to subdivision.”
Minister Parker
told Radio NZ that because the
Forum has been unable to reach a consensus, “the mandate
passes to central Government and it’s our obligation to
actually sort that out”.
“They’ve put themselves in
abeyance … we might go back to them in respect of some
solutions in the future but in the meantime yes, they’re
in abeyance. I think they realise that they’ve come to a
natural endpoint, that there are some things that you
actually can’t get agreement on through collaboration
because of the competing private
interests.”
Policy news & developments
Kaikōura research presented: Researchers presented a variety of findings from post-earthquake research around Kaikōura, including impacts on fisheries and local wildlife.
Threatened sharks: The great white shark and the basking shark have been classified as threatened for the first time.
Parental leave increases: From July 1, parents of babies due or delivered on this date will be eligible for 22 weeks of paid leave, up from the current 18 weeks.
Petrol prices: The excise duty on petrol will increase by 10.5 cents per litre over the next two years.
Superu closes: The Family Commission, which went under the name Superu, officially closed today, after the Families Commission Act Repeal Act was passed earlier this year.
Ageing strategy released: A discussion document and consultation has opened on a new positive ageing strategy for an ageing population.
Largest pest-free island: $2
million over three years will be invested in making the
subantarctic, 46,000ha Auckland Island predator free.
Gaming or gambling: study shows almost half
of loot boxes in video games constitute
gambling Female suicide bombers: how terrorist
propaganda radicalises Indonesian women
This week on the
NZ Conversation.
Aaron Drummond, Massey University; James
Sauer, University of Tasmania
Science Media Centre NZ
Our aim is to promote accurate, evidence-based reporting on science and technology by helping the media work more closely with the scientific community.
The Science Media Centre is New Zealand's only trusted, independent source of information for the media on all issues related to science. Thousands of news stories providing context from and quoting New Zealand researchers have been published as a direct result of our work.
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