The New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS) is again giving political parties currently represented in Parliament an opportunity to communicate their science manifestos on our VoteScience.org web site. Scientific and technological advances are at the heart of economic and social development, so science policy is critical to the national good. The party policy statements are given below, followed by an NZAS commentary on the party science manifestos. The party policy statements and the NZAS commentary are also available in the early release of the Special Issue of Science Review for the 2008 Election.
This material will be of interest to scientists and technologists as well as the public and news media who wish to compare the research, science and technology (RS&T) manifestos of the political parties.
An important aim of the NZAS is to communicate the aspirations and concerns of New Zealand scientists and technologists to the people of New Zealand and to analyse what will keep this workforce motivated and contributing effectively to the welfare of the nation.
Scientists appear to be willing to work in New Zealand for less than the international going rate. Evidence of this can be seen in relatively low staff turnover rates compared with other sectors of the economy. However, staff turnover rates are now starting to rise.
The following conditions are necessary for a strong, motivated, and productive scientific workforce that contributes significantly to the welfare of the nation.
NZAS believes that the New Zealand science system has failed to meet many of these conditions and that this has led to high levels of discontent. Workforce instability will be exacerbated by demographic changes occurring internationally, and these will affect New Zealand’s ability to retain its RS&T workforce. The demand for good researchers is increasing globally and therefore New Zealand’s RS&T workforce should not be taken for granted. Scientists need to be assured that Government and the private sector provide an environment in which New Zealand will maintain a motivated and highly talented workforce.
NZAS believes that the Government and its advisers have a critical role to play in setting the RS&T landscape and climate, monitoring progress in the sector, and promoting free and frank discussion. Therefore, in addition to statements about priorities for research as seen by each party, we would like to see thoughtful analysis of how the above concerns of scientists will be addressed in the future.
Kathryn McGrath
President
New Zealand Association of Scientists Incorporated
18 August 2008
Policy statements (in pdf format) received on or before October 19 2008 are accessed by clicking on the party name link. Political parties are listed in alphabetical order.
Late submissions:
Read the NZAS commentary on the political parties’ RS&T policies. Please note, at the time of writing the final Labour RS&T policy had not been released. The NZAS commentary is based on the interim Labour policy statement. Both the interim and final Labour policy statements are provided above.
We welcome feedback. For any comments or enquiries, please email
enquiries at votescience dot org
www.VoteScience.org is a unique service provided to the public and the science community by the New Zealand Association of Scientists (Inc). NZAS is an independent voluntary organisation pledged to represent the interests of working scientists and technologists. It publishes four issues a year of New Zealand Science Review. To learn more about NZAS, please visit our web site. We welcome your interest in our activity and urge you to consider becoming a member.