25 August 1992 Science Enters 'New, Positive Era' Says Finance Minister

New Zealand's scientists can look forward to stability and certainty in their futures and a politics-free existence, said the Minister of Finance, Ruth Richardson, at a NZ Institute of Agricultural Science symposium at Lincoln University today. (Tues. 25 Aug.)

"Science is now a politics-free zone," she told the gathering of over 200 scientists and Crown Research Institute representatives from throughout the country.

Speaking on the role of science and technology in the New Zealand economy, Miss Richardson acknowledged that recent changes in the management, funding and organisation of science had, like all transition, been de-stabilising, but now the country had 10 well focused and managed institutes and that situation would be very good for science and very good for public policy management.

The most important thing about the reforms was to improve the return from science so that the New Zealand economy as a whole would benefit. From now on the country could expect to get more science for each dollar spent.

"With these reforms you are seeing science come into the mainstream of the country's economy.

Systems failure was clearly evident in the old set-up, and the shift to the new Crown Research Institute structure would do many things.

"It will overcome much of the old inertia; it will avoid duplication of effort; and it will focus on outputs rather than inputs.

"Furthermore, the new system will lead to a better professional climate for scientists. Indeed to get a better structure for that professionalism has been one of the driving forces in the reform. In the end people are more important than bricks and mortar."

Miss Richardson said she saw a "new, positive era" ahead of science in New Zealand and a new positive role for it in the economy.

New Zealand had "overdosed on debt" in the past and reform across the whole of public policy in New Zealand had been essential.

"No institution was sacred because no institution was sustainable in an economy with declining growth."

As far as science was concerned, she said that key elements of the reform were separating off the areas of policy advice, the allocation of funds and the actual implementation of scientific endeavour.

On the subject of funding "we're looking for a multi-year approach," she said.

Miss Richardson emphasised that competition was the key to the future of New Zealand and that element would operate in science as well as in other areas of public policy management.

"Competitiveness is the new cornerstone of the economy," she said. "We're becoming an 'open economy'. Beating the competitor is now what counts, not beating the bureaucrat."

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand