Kia ora koutou 

I'm sending this email out to all of our members who need renew their membership.

Most of you will now be in the "lapsed" category. Please don't be offended - within the software we use this makes it easiest for you to click through to renew or change membership levels. We do value your membership and plan to keep asking you to renew!

If you haven't received an invoice, renewing is easy.

First, go to our login page. If you've forgotten your password, you can reset it via the email (the one this is sent to).

You can then pay directly (please use credit card payment if you can), or choose to get your invoice sent to you. Please renew! If we don't start getting better renewal rates, we'll this creates a big manual job to volunteer councillors or we'll need to hire a helper or service. If our membership numbers decline, this diminishes our standing as a significant player advocating for science and scientists working on behalf of our entire society.

While I have you, here are some news and reminders. 

We continue to focus strongly on science careers and early career issues. Our ECR Councillors and members have drafted an Open Letter to Marsden Fund Council regarding PhD stipends falling well below minimum wage. It closes for signatures tonight has 600 signatures. I'd love to see more senior researchers who have had Marsden grants sign, and show the need to value recruitment of bright kiwis into exciting research projects. We'll keep working to create stable post-PhD career paths inside and outside the universities and CRIs.

We understand the expected major consultation on the future of research funding and institutions has been held up while the Government focusses on Covid issues. Regardless, we're still looking forward to sending more details soon for our conference, Reshaping the New Zealand Research System: Finding Solutions on Monday Nov 15. It will be combined with our AGM and Awards, with hopes still alive for an in person and hybrid event. Register interest now, and get it in your diary.

If you're interested in what we're thinking, always check out our website and twitter feed. A good demonstration of our value on twitter including recent ministerial meeting directly as a result of twitter discussion requesting more transparent reporting of MBIE Endeavour Results. We thank Hon Drs Megan Woods and Ayesha Verrall, and MBIE for followup on that.

Thanks also to everyone who participated on our NZSR survey sent to members.

Nāku, nā

Troy Baisden

NZAS President