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Move “continues NZ government’s wrongheaded fixation with turning science into the handmaiden of economic development”

A new research fund will “streamline” support for Māori research and innovation, the New Zealand government has said, but some prominent researchers have questioned its direction.

On 29 May, science minister Shane Reti and Māori development minister Tama Potaka said the existing Te Pūnaha Hihiko Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund and the He Aka Ka Toro Navigation Fund would be merged to form the He Ara Whakahihiko Capability Fund.

Reti said the government is “committed to backing Māori participation in science and innovation, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because it strengthens New Zealand’s overall economic performance”.

The fund will have two streams: an “impact” stream with NZ$2.1 million available, and a “research pathways” stream with around NZ$6.5m. A further NZ$1.9m will be “devolved” to the Health Research Council.

‘Going for growth’

Amanda Black, a professor at Lincoln University, told Research Professional News that the impact of the changes on Māori research and the communities they work with will be “largely negative”. She described the merger as “an ineffective investment and strategy that is unlikely to meet its intended goals”.

“The new direction narrowly defines what science and research is and intends to only fund ‘research’ that is at the operational end of the spectrum of funding,” she said, adding that the He Aka Ka Toro Navigation Fund predominantly funded projects that were “mostly environmental or social, with an emphasis on wellbeing”.

The NZ$1.9m redirected to the Health Research Council will be for research commercialisation and translation. Black labelled this “a waste of funds” with “no route to market”. The money is insufficient to make a difference in the pharmaceutical industry, she said: “NZ$2m makes no difference in this sector unless you are into producing snake oil. NZ$20m probably wouldn’t either. But NZ$2m for environmental and social wellbeing research goes a long way.”

Tahu Kukutai, a co-director of the Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Centre of Research Excellence, said the new fund “continues the government’s relentless ‘going for growth’ cheer and wrongheaded fixation with turning science into the handmaiden of economic development”.

She said an apparent increase in Vision Mātauranga funding in the budget on 22 May had been a “bright spot”, but “the devil is in the detail”.

The new capability fund is “largely targeted at research for commercialisation and economic growth, with a nod to environmental outcomes”, she said.

“Science of course can be a valuable tool for driving innovation and economic growth, but the translation of science into tangible economic benefits is a lot less immediate and straightforward than the government would have us believe. Certainly, investment in Māori science, innovation and technology requires a more holistic and balanced approach.”

Transparency and accountability

Pania Te Maro, an associate professor and Māori knowledge leader at Massey University’s Institute of Education, said the announcement is a continuation of the government’s “problematic appropriation and reduction of science knowledge and culture to fit a specific yet hidden agenda”.

She called on the ministers to better define terms such as “innovation, entrepreneurship, development, prosperity and their other words used to justify their focus for funding”.

“Are they ensuring that we pay attention to science that is ethical and upholds integrity and morality? Apparently not, because those checks and balances are not mentioned at all. Their central premise is the mis/use of science capital for market gain and that commercialisation of science and technology is what is most important for us all.”

Te Maro said New Zealand should use “funding criteria that recognise the need to balance commercial perspectives with potential impacts on us and the planet, using kaupapa Māori [Māori approaches], humanities and social sciences elements in each research application, and respecting the articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Anything else will be a Trojan horse.” Te Tiriti, or the Treaty of Waitangi, contains principles for the protection of Māori culture.

She described the NZ$8.6m available after the Health Research Council allocation as “measly”, comparing it with the tens of millions of dollars in rebates given to gaming development by the government.

Kukutai questioned the new fund’s stated aim of supporting “Māori-facing entities” and said she hopes the money will not go to “non-Māori researchers and organisations…Transparency and accountability will be key.”

Troy Baisden, co-president of the New Zealand Association of Scientists, said that while the updated support for Māori research and the recognition of its importance are welcome, “we have to always be concerned that there is no effective overview of the system and these levels of support may be a tenth or less of what is needed to provide effective delivery of high-quality research, careers and impacts that benefit our society”.

There is still confusion across the science system about eligibility for funding and overheads, he said.

Proposals for the new fund, which will be administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, will open on 20 August.