Science job losses research ‘threat’

Press, 7 October 1988, Page 4

Science job losses research ‘threat’

By

JENNY LONG

New Zealand’s long-term research is being threatened by Government policy which is making many scientists redundant, says a Christchurch scientists, Dr Philip Tonkin.

About 50 scientists and support technicians have been told in the last three weeks that they are surplus to Government department requirements. Other redundancies had occurred earlier. Long-term science, forestry, and land research was suffering because some departments had to generate up to 40 per cent of their income through private sector funding, Dr Tonkin said “Anything that has not got an immediate commercial tag is not being funded ” Dr Tonkin a member of the soil sciences department at Lincoln College said scientists took at least five years to train, and with the cuts in research many of those made redundant would not find jobs. Because post-primary and university students saw what was happening to science-based jobs, they

were not entering science courses, Dr Tonkin said. “A vacuum is being created in science knowledge in New Zealand. Recent redundancies in science areas include: ® Ten at the Forest Research Centre in Ham, out of 100, announced late last month. © Twenty-two at Rotorua this week, in the Forest Research Institute including scientists and technicians. 0 Sixteen, including 14 scientists, announced this week after the merging of the soil di visions of the D.S.I.R. and the Ministry of Works and Development. The Government should develop and announce a clear policy on science, Dr Tonkin said. Canterbury scientists attending a Royal Society meeting this week supported Dr Tonkin’s comments. The Canterbury branch

of the society will ask its parent body to make publie concerns regarding the Government s policy on funding science and the apparent Jack of a science policy, One speaker at the meeting said the Governments science policy was c^ear - It wants to replace scientific research with scientific services. New Zealand will reap tbe benefits in 10 to 20 years time.” Dr Tonkin later described the Minister of Science and Technology Mr Tizard, as “the most effective undertaker for science this country has got.” Scientists were aware they were not the only group adversely affected by Government policies, Dr Tonkin said. “However, no-one should forget that we live in a technological society, and future prosperity de-

pends on improved knowledge of our natural resources and the way they behave.”

Some 60 to 70 per cent of New Zealand’s export earnings still came from agriculture, horticulture, and foresty, Dr Tonkin said.

The Royal Society meeting called for the Ministers of Science, Agriculture and Fisheries and Forests to provide a public justification of their action, which “has resulted in an effective reduction in the public funding of science, particularly in areas where cosst recovery has been unable to meet the shortfall in funding.” The Canterbury branch expressed its grave concern about the number of scientists declared surplus in the Ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries, Forestry, and Conservation and in the D.S.I.R.