ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Mahi Tahi 1 The Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia. Tohua ngā whakatipuranga ki te inu i te puna o te mātauranga. Kia hora ai te whakaruruhau o te ora, ki runga ki te iwi. Kia kaha, kia toa, kia manawanui. Show the new generation to drink of the wellspring of knowledge. That the sheltering mantle of well-being may spread over the people! Be strong, be courageous, be resolute. “Science is at the frontline of the issues that face our society … what PRIME MINISTER’S MESSAGE better way to equip our people to decipher information than through Opening remarks our scientific community” From the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern. Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern speaking at the Prime Minister’s Science Prizes, March 2019. esearch, science and innovation are core to To make science more accessible for New Zea- what we as a Government want to achieve landers, Juliet and her team have been using Twitter – a just transition to a low emissions econo- and Instagram to encourage young people to take Rmy and a measurable increase in the wellbeing of all part in the sciences. They’ve also been presenting in New Zealanders. That is why we celebrate excellence lots of forums, using blogs and developing their first and why we want to continue to lift investment in accessible science factsheet about antimicrobial re- science. sistance. No easy task. My Chief Science Advisor and the team of Chief I look forward to enjoying more science-led de- Science Advisors support me, ministers and govern- bate about tackling the issues that we’ve made a good ment agencies to make the best decisions on how to start on, informed by the work of Juliet, her team, tackle our long-term challenges by connecting us to and scientists across New Zealand and the world. the relevant science and network of scientists, both here and overseas. Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern The range of topics that our network of advisors Prime Minister have produced work on is impressive. A particular highlight for me is the ‘Rethinking Plastics’ pro- ject. I enjoyed reading about the talented interns and their research, with some fantastic topics such as equity in primary school mathematics and solar electricity. I also received an important brief about Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern arrives to announce her new Chief Science Advisor, with Lee Gerrard and Stuart McCutcheon evidence-based interventions following the March photocredit: University of Auckland. 15 Terror Attack. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia Page 2 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Contents Message from the Prime Minister .........................................................................2 Contents .................................................................................................................3 Foreword .................................................................................................................5 This year in a nutshell ............................................................................................7 Who we are – the team .........................................................................................9 Who we are - Chief Science Advisor Forum ..........................................................11 What we do .............................................................................................................13 Working with Standards NZ ...................................................................................14 Rethinking plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand ......................................................15 Responding to Christchurch ..................................................................................19 Internship programme ...........................................................................................21 Ian Lambie report – Every Four Minutes ..............................................................24 Right: Images from a record breaking kākāpō breeding Participatory Science Platform ..............................................................................25 season, photo from Andrew Digby @takapodigs Department of Conservation. Equity, inclusivity, diversity ....................................................................................29 International engagement .....................................................................................31 Cover Image: Magnificent Dusky Sound taken from aboard the Southern Winds, with the Department of Conservation Finances and in-kind support................................................................................33 en route to see the kākāpō recovery programme. Page 3 Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor2019 ANNUAL REPORT 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science AdvisorPage 1 FOREWARD It has been a whirlwind year Tēnā koutou katoa, ngā mihi o te wā ki a tātou. He pūrongo tēnei hei whakamōhio atu ki ētahi kaupapa o te ao, he kaupapa anō hoki e taea ai e mātau te torotoro atu ki a koutou. Nā reira, anei ētahi pitopito kōrero. ’m delighted to introduce this annual report, nity and to government, to see how best to position connected with our efforts in this space, and been which marks the end of my first year in the the Office as a trusted, accessible bridge between patient with me as I embarked on my te reo journey. position of Prime Minister’s Chief Science the two in the years ahead. It was clear that these There is a harder, longer path ahead to build a work- IAdvisor, Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te four principles, adopted from a Nature paper in June ing partnership around science advice that is truly Pirimia. It has been a whirlwind year: building the last year would connect well to the international bicultural, but I have enjoyed and valued the many team, setting up new offices, listening to researchers community but needed particular interpretation in kōrero this year as we begin this mahi. I hope that and policy makers, agreeing a work plan with the the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. we have made some sound first steps as we learn to Prime Minister, and delivering our first briefings ‘Inclusive’ is perhaps the principle that has gener- weave different ways of knowing and understanding and advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet. ated the most energy. Being the first woman in any together and embrace the strength that comes from It is now ten years since this position was first role adds a certain additional responsibility to carry each world view. Mā te mahi tahi ka ea ngā mahi established in Aotearoa New Zealand, making it the gender flag, which I am more than happy to do. katoa. a good time to reflect on the role and the science Beyond this though, I am passionate about reflect- My listening tour surfaced many ideas, and a advisory network more widely, to build on the solid ing on what we have learned along the ‘Women surprising consensus in terms of the main themes platform of Sir Peter Gluckman’s legacy, and set the in Science’ pathway and use this knowledge as we where government policy could be strengthened by course and culture for the years ahead. I decided broaden the agenda to focus on increasing equity, a sound evidence base. These ideas were discussed early on to embed four principles deeply into all our diversity and inclusion for all underrepresented and prioritised with the Prime Minister in Octo- activities: rigour, accessibility, transparency and in- groups. To this end, I am hugely grateful to the very ber, and the first cab off the rank is a major com- clusivity. With these front of mind, I invested a lot many people who have supported me in ensuring missioned report on plastics. Our #rethinkplastic of time travelling around the country in my first 100 that our work is as inclusive as possible – espe- project is now well underway, and the first part has days, listening keenly both to the research commu- cially those from the Māori community who have been delivered in draft form to the Prime Minister Page 5 Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor2019 ANNUAL REPORT “ There is a harder, longer path ahead to build a working partnership around science advice that is truly bicultural, but I have enjoyed and valued the many kōrero this year as we begin this mahi.” and Min Sage, in order to meet the policy timeline. This has been a very satisfying topic to work on, with so many people keen to engage from within and be- yond the research community, and we look forward to delivering the final comprehensive report later this year. It is always dangerous to choose highlights, es- pecially so in a year where I have been enormously Chief Science Advisor, Professor Juliet Gerrard photocredit: simonyoungphotographer.com/WomanKind privileged to meet scientists doing amazing work in some spectacular settings. One of the most memo- the ecosystem, and to understand how our changing officials and the wider public as we have embarked rable was a trip aboard the NASA SOFIA flight, to climate will impact on this incredible landscape. on our work, and the Prime Minister for giving me see the infrared telescope at work in the stratosphere Another hat tip to the conservation work done by this amazing opportunity. (and a fortuitous Aurora Australis). I also went to the Department of Conservation, who were gener- Antarctica, along with Min James Shaw, as the guest ous enough to let me accompany them on a kākāpo Ngā mihi nui of Antarctica New Zealand. This was definitely a release in Fiordland. It has been a record-breaking