Science Media Centre

In an opinion piece for the New Zealand Herald, businessman Owen Glenn makes a case for science and innovation to lead our economy. An excerpt (read in full here): Use science, technology to be innovative In the second of a series leading up to the election, Owen Glenn says exporters’ form matters even more than [...]

At the Agricultural and Horticultural Outlook summit in Wellington this week, politicians and scientists explored the coming challenges faced by the farming sector. Radio New Zealand has been reporting back from the gathering, where high profile individuals have raised important questions for the future of agriculture and horticulture in New Zealand. From Radio New Zealand: [...]

Geothermal energy now generates around 13 percent of New Zealand’s electricity, but scientists gathering this week in Taupo will explore options for vastly expanding the resource’s potential. A two-day workshop (25 – 26 May) “HADES: Hotter and Deeper Exploration Science” will bring together engineers and geothermal specialists from 10 countries to discuss the international context [...]

Acclaimed Victoria University physicist, entrepreneur and Royal Society of London Fellow Professor Sir Paul Callaghan delivered a hard-hitting speech at Telecommunications Day 2011 this morning, foreshadowing the Budget with a speech critical of New Zealand’s past approaches to transforming our economy for a more prosperous future. Click below to listen back to the speech… points [...]

Anthony Doesburg writes about a recent Auckland event bringing universities and businesspeople together to showcase university R&D. Sir Ray Avery, a scientist and former New Zealander of the Year, also suggests that another way to bring New Zealand up the International Innovation Index rankings, is to start with a real world problem and then use [...]

Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, one of New Zealand’s top experts in nanotechnology and magnetic resonance imaging, has been named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year for 2011. The award recognises Callaghan’s commitment to science, its communication, and connecting it with technology and business. Media coverage: Dom Post: Scientist and man of vision NZer of the [...]

Two new, independent boards which will be responsible for science and innovation funding, have been set up and their members announced. They will be chaired by Dr William Rolleston and Professor Sir David Skegg, respectively. An excerpt: (read in full) Research, Science & Technology Minister Wayne Mapp says the boards will be key players in [...]

It’s been a source of much puzzlement and discussion that, despite New Zealand ranking high on many of the metrics which would suggest we should be highly productive, we nonetheless aren’t compared to many of our OECD counterparts. At a MoRST Chat Shop this morning, Forte Management’s Tony Smale discussed this ‘innovation puzzle’, arguing that [...]

Airing a range of ideas on how to move the New Zealand science system forwards, prominent speakers gathered today in Wellington for the 2010 conference of New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS). ‘Re-setting science and innovation for the next 20 years’ was the theme of the one-day event, co-hosted with the Institute of Policy Studies, [...]

An editorial in the Otago Daily Times examines the efforts being made around New Zealand to boost the image of, and engagement in, science around New Zealand. With the government having recognised the importance of science in the country’s future, it is encouraging to see initiatives such as the New Zealand International Science Festival, the [...]