We have a further release statement noting the Royal Society Te Apārangi President has effectively confirmed our concerns – they must now be addressed.

"Progress can’t be put back in a bottle. If RSTA pursues its governance reform demoting the diversity representing Māori and the research workforce across career stages, fields and regions, it will cease to hold a meaningful role as our national academy of sciences.”

Link => Read our further release (PDF).

** We are experiencing an intermittent problem with our website so you may need to access the release via the top of our Releases Page if the link above fails. Alternatively, the full text is now below.

Royal Society confirms our concerns and must address to retain trust

An email* from the President of the Royal Society Te Apārarangi (RSTA) acknowledged our concerns outlined in a statement encouraging RSTA to withdraw the proposal for a governance restructuring it has sent out for consultation. Co-President Troy Baisden follows up to note:

●      “The RSTA confirms it intends for some sort of Māori electoral college to remain but does not acknowledge that this is demoted from governance to advisory capacity. 

●      “It is not clear whether future Māori representation would also be decreased from two to a single representative, often criticised as a “lonely only” – which can frequently lead to meetings without representation if the lone voice is not available or becomes unheard.

●      “The RSTA has not acknowledged that the demotion of the representation of regional branches from the governing council to the advisory committee appears inconsistent with s23 of the Act establishing the RSTA. Nor has it acknowledged the demotion of representation of diversity including early career researchers and the many professional bodies representing fields and researchers.   

“Our deep concerns reflect that the governing council plays a principal role in accountability for an organisation struggling with its messages about retaining excellence while embracing diversity. The President’s email confirms the RSTA is not a “public” organisation but omitted the balance required to maintain the trust justifying its position as a national academy.

“The quality and diversity of governance will matter as long as it can be observed that RSTA’s operations appear to be less transparent and accountable than those of publicly-traded companies, and are not subject to the Official Information Act. Independence has served RSTA and other national science academies well but relies deeply on the quality of governance.

“Progress can’t be put back in a bottle. If RSTA pursues its governance reform demoting the diversity representing Māori and the research workforce across career stages, fields and regions, it will cease to hold a meaningful role as our national academy of sciences.”

If the consultation continues, we encourage RSTA and those attending to expand it to consider what steps it can take to resume its path toward becoming a better performing, publicly accountable, and highly trusted organisation with a substantial role to play in our society.

*email from RSTA President follows.

President, Royal Society Te Apārangi <President@royalsociety.org.nz> Subject: Consultation on improvements to the Society’s governance structure Date: 25 October 2024 at 9:12:28 AM NZDT To: President, Royal Society Te Apārangi <President@royalsociety.org.nz> Kia ora koutou,    Further to my message on 15 October 2024, you may have seen yesterday’s media statement from one of our constituent organisations, the New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS).   I would like to reiterate that the aim of the proposal is to apply contemporary best practice, as typically applied across most, including not-for-profit, organisations, to maximise the Council’s effectiveness in governing and supporting the Society to deliver on its long-term strategy.  Alongside this, the proposal articulates a structure that is designed to be far better suited to the task of representation and advice.  It is intended to enhance and strengthen the ‘voice’ and representation of all of our member groups (currently not all are represented on Council).    For clarity, the Society is an independent not-for-profit membership organisation.  Technically, we are a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal, not a “public organisation”. The proposal does not include any change in our founding Act, which specifies, amongst other things, the roles of electoral colleges and of Regional Constituent Organisations (now called branches) in appointment of Councillors.  The proposal also retains the Māori electoral college.   If you have questions or would like clarity on any aspect of the proposal, we encourage you to join one of the remaining consultation meetings, noting that any member is welcome to attend any session.    Date Location Membership focus 25 October Online Fellows and Companions 30 October Online Māori Electoral College 30 October Online All Members 31 October Online Branches and Constituent Organisations 31 October Online All Members 1 November Online ECR Forum Committee Please email Fiona (fiona.campbell@royalsociety.org.nz) for links to the online meetings.   We also invite you to share your feedback on any aspects of the proposal, and have circulated a feedback form to help with this. Please send your feedback to me at President@royalsociety.org.nz by Tuesday, 12 November 2024. We will incorporate your feedback into a revised proposal for consideration at the Council meeting on 5 December 2024.   I look forward to hearing from you.  With best wishes, Jane [with full email signature following]