The NSC comprises of a delegate representative from each of New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes (CRI) and Callaghan Innovation, and is supported by PSA Science sector organisers. The purpose of this Committee is to collectively better the working conditions of our Science workforce; to influence government policy and the Science sector; and to communicate sector progress back to the Science workforce.
Recognising the hard work by the NSC in recent years, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) appointed a PSA position to the Future Pathways Reference Group (FPRG), an industry group representing a range of peak bodies and professional organisations, providing MBIE with support in their decisions in the sector.
Grant was recently nominated as the PSA representative to the FPRG.
“Being able to guide specific policy documents of the Science sector reforms has been quite useful. I can bring a perspective that the policymakers, and other members of the reference group, may not have,” Grant says.
Shaping science policy
“We became more engaged in the Science policy space when we provided a PSA submission on the 2019 ‘Draft Research, Science and Innovation Strategy’, as drafted by MBIE. We were also consulted on the Te Pae Kahurangi CRI review, as one of the CRI stakeholders. It was great to see some of our own words clearly represented in the final review document,” Grant says.
Future pathways
Following the release of Te Pae Kahurangi, MBIE announced that it would embark on a series of significant reforms to the New Zealand Science system. MBIE released the Future Pathways Te Ara Paerangi “white paper”, or background report, outlining the direction that changes to the sector will take.
The NSC has prioritised members’ voices in Te Ara Paerangi, by providing written submissions into the government process, meeting directly with Science policy experts within MBIE, and organising face-to-face meetings with the Minister for Science.
This work was invaluable for ensuring that the voice of the Science workforce was heard at all levels of the decision-making process.
New Zealand’s Research, Science, and Innovation sector is earmarked for significant changes over the next few years. Starting with their briefings to incoming ministers, or BIMs, the Committee aims to continue to be a voice for its membership and for the wider Science workforce.
