Understanding the New Zealand Association of Scientists' Stark Warning on Science Reforms

The New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS), a prominent voice for the country's research community, has issued a forceful critique of the ongoing science system reforms, declaring them 'failing before they've started, yet again.' This statement, released on February 3, 2026, comes amid a backdrop of structural changes aimed at boosting economic growth through reorganized research funding and institutions. Co-presidents Troy Baisden and Lucy Stewart argue that these reforms exacerbate long-standing issues like funding instability and career precarity, potentially jeopardizing New Zealand's research output and innovation capacity.

At its core, the criticism targets the government's refocus of the public science system, which includes merging seven Crown Research Institutes (CRIs)—organizations dedicated to public good science such as environmental monitoring and agricultural innovation—into three larger Public Research Institutes (PRIs). While intended to streamline operations and prioritize commercialization, NZAS contends that the changes undermine the foundational elements of effective national research systems developed since World War II.

Background: A Timeline of New Zealand's Science System Reforms

New Zealand's science sector has undergone turbulence since early 2025. In January 2025, the government announced sweeping changes informed by the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG) reports, which pinpointed underinvestment in the public research system as a drag on productivity and economic performance. Key moves included CRI mergers, a shift toward mission-led research, and the creation of Research Funding New Zealand (RFNZ) as a centralized decision-making body.

By November 2025, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) unveiled a new funding strategy structured around four pillars: economy, advanced technology, environment, and health and society. This approach promises to blend contestable grants with strategic investments, maintaining some support for discovery-led science outside the pillars. However, implementation has been gradual, with RFNZ set to handle major funds like the Marsden Fund from early 2026.

Historical context reveals a pattern: previous reforms, such as the 2011 CRI commercial push and the National Science Challenges (2012-2022), faced similar backlash for diverting resources from basic research. Public investment in foundational science now hovers at just 0.3% of GDP, well below peer nations' averages of 0.6% or more.

Core Criticisms: Breaching the Five Fundamentals of Research Success

NZAS highlights five fundamentals—stability, independence, accountability, and two others implied as institutional support and connectivity—that have driven returns of 8 to 20 times taxpayer investment in comparable countries. The reforms, they claim, violate all five:

• Instability: Repeated restructurings create 'crippling uncertainty' for careers, with early-career researchers detailing bleak prospects in the New Zealand Science Review.
• Political Independence: Centralizing power in RFNZ under ministerial oversight risks politicizing funding decisions.
• Accountability: Ministers blame institutions for job losses, while institutions point to budget cuts—no one tracks strategic losses.
• Institutional Support: High overheads mean only 20% of public funds reach scientists' salaries and projects in CRIs.
• Connectivity: Weak links between people and institutions erode collaborative research networks.

These breaches, NZAS warns, compound decades of underfunding, leaving New Zealand vulnerable to hazards like climate-exacerbated storms, as seen in recent events.

The Funding Black Hole: Where Does the Money Go?

A central grievance is the anomalous overhead rates in CRIs, where ministerial briefings admit officials cannot trace where funds go or what they cross-subsidize. Potential partners—government departments, companies, philanthropists—hesitate due to these inefficiencies, unlike efficient systems abroad.

In peer nations like the UK and EU, streamlined funding delivers high returns; New Zealand's model funnels more to administration than research. NZAS calls for urgent transparency: How quickly can reforms redirect funds to frontline science? Failed initiatives like the defunded National Science Challenges and troubled MethaneSat satellite exemplify MBIE's struggles with large-scale management.

For university researchers collaborating with CRIs on publications, this inefficiency hampers joint projects, reducing output in fields like environmental science and biosecurity.

Research Funding New Zealand Board: Expertise Gaps Raise Alarms

The newly appointed RFNZ board draws sharp criticism for lacking track records in climate change, hazards, environment, and social sciences—precisely when such expertise is critical post-recent disasters. Announced amid storm-related fatalities, this omission risks 'decision-makers not knowing what they don’t know,' per Baisden.

In a research publication context, boards shape funding for discovery science, directly influencing publication volumes. Without diverse expertise, priority areas may skew toward commercialization, sidelining foundational work that underpins high-impact papers.

Impacts on Research Careers and Publication Output

While large job losses grab headlines, NZAS emphasizes subtler damage: career instability stifling long-term research. Early-career accounts reveal difficulty establishing labs or securing grants amid 'musical chairs' restructurings.

Publication metrics reflect this: New Zealand's research output lags peers, with stagnating funding correlating to fewer high-citation papers. Universities, reliant on stable collaborations, face ripple effects—PBRF (Performance-Based Research Fund) supports uni excellence, but CRI turmoil disrupts co-authored work in applied fields.

Explore opportunities in stable environments via higher ed research jobs or postdoc positions.

University Research in the Crosshairs: Broader Ecosystem Effects

Though reforms target CRIs, universities feel the strain. Joint projects on climate modeling or biodiversity—key to NZ publications—suffer from partner instability. Recent university funding shifts, like replacing PBRF with a Tertiary Research Excellence Fund, add layers of uncertainty.

Data shows NZ universities' global publication share rose post-2003 PBRF introduction, but recent cuts threaten reversal. Researchers report diverted time from writing papers to navigating funding chaos.

Government's Defense: Streamlining for Economic Impact

MBIE frames reforms as simplifying a fragmented system, with RFNZ ensuring alignment to national priorities. The four-pillar strategy balances contestable funds and missions, preserving Marsden-like discovery research. Transition minimizes disruption, with full effects by 2027.

Proponents argue commercialization will boost GDP, citing SSAG's productivity focus. Yet NZAS counters that without addressing overheads and expertise, gains evaporate.

Stakeholder Perspectives: A Divided Science Community

Views split: Some CRI staff welcome mergers for scale; others fear job losses (thousands affected). University leaders express cautious optimism for entrepreneurship but worry over basic research cuts. International observers note NZ's chronic underinvestment risks brain drain.

• NZIAHS: Reforms overlook horticulture needs.
• Royal Society: Past restructures eroded academy role.
• Early-career voices: Bleak outlooks dominate.

Balanced reform requires multi-stakeholder input, as NZAS urges.

Path Forward: NZAS Calls for Accountability and Solutions

NZAS proposes three pre-election demands:

1. Expertise in funding bodies to safeguard knowledge.
2. Trace and reform overheads for efficient allocation.
3. Auditor General probe into MBIE failures like MethaneSat.

Solutions include full-cost recovery, international benchmarking, and ring-fenced discovery funds. For researchers, diversifying via academic CV tips and lecturer jobs offers resilience.

Photo by Athithan Vignakaran on Unsplash

Future Outlook: Election-Year Reckoning for NZ Science

As 2026 election looms, reforms test voter priorities. Continued failure risks NZ slipping from advanced economies, per NZAS. Positive scenarios: Boost to 1% GDP investment yields publication surges, innovation booms.

Higher ed professionals can contribute via university jobs and advocacy. Stay informed to shape a robust research future.

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