How will the cuts affect our science?
The National Science Challenges are ending. Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways has been removed. The Wellington Science City programme has been taken off the table. Announcements are being made in publicly funded organisations about mass redundancies of science staff, alongside other funding streams drying up for science organisations. This is happening on top of the existing university funding crisis.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is collaborating with other unions and science professional associations, together named the “Save Science Coalition”, opposing the cuts to science we are currently seeing across the public sector.
Goals of the coalition
The Save Science Coalition has the following goals:
- Oppose cuts to science funding and science staff across government institutions;
- Highlight and catalogue what is being lost through these cuts;
- Defend support for world-leading indigenous research including mātauranga Māori;
- Make the case for a foundation of support for public science and re-commit to a target of 2% of GDP to be invested in research and development in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Coalition members
The “Save Science Coalition” members are:
- New Zealand Association of Scientists
- Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi
- Tertiary Education Union
- Academic Freedom Aotearoa
- NZ Society for Endocrinology
- NZ Ecological Society
- New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
Media stories
Attack on science steps up with jobs going at Callaghan Innovation
Another dark day for science and climate - 90 jobs to go at NIWA
Supporting documents
Letter to Judith Colins regarding cuts to Callaghan Innovation
Submission on Callaghan Innovation's proposed strategic reset