Juliet Gerrard

Data on the cuts to the Marsden Fund reported by RNZ this morning

Marsden Fund says it was given only a day's notice of further funding cuts The Marsden Fund is among three contestable funds to lose millions to help set up the new Institute for Advanced Technology.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

PM's new chief science advisor: Still independent? | Q+A 2025 YouTube video by Q+A with Jack Tame

youtu.be/qrk98sRhS4A?...

Majority of Govt's $231m tech institute funded through research funding cuts 'It will be a cornerstone of our plan to grow a high-tech, high-value economy.'

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/... Majority of Government’s $231m spend on Advanced Technology Institute funded through planned research funding cuts

The Gutting of America’s Medical Research: Here Is Every Canceled or Delayed N.I.H. Grant Some cuts have been starkly visible, but the country’s medical grant-making machinery has also radically transformed outside the public eye.

The Gutting of America’s Medical Research: Here Is Every Canceled or Delayed N.I.H. Grant www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

PM's new science advisor John Roche The Prime Minister's new chief science advisor, John Roche, is getting underway with his new job, a year after the position was vacated

PM's new science advisor John Roche www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Home Welcome to the Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor (PMCSA), Kaitohutohu Mātanga Pūtaiao Matua ki te Pirimia, Professor Juliet Gerrard. Juliet completed her term as PMCSA in June 2024.

Everything we did, and everything we had access to from my predecessor, is archived here: www.pmcsa.ac.nz (as well as in the DPMC archives) - it will be up to John decide how to organise the website and comms going forward

I’m meeting with the new PMCSA later this week, I’m sure this will be on his radar

Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades The lag in funding extends far beyond D.E.I. initiatives, affecting almost every area of science: chemistry, computing, engineering, materials and more.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Gene tech the winner in new science budget Most of the $813m budget line was a rebate for international moviemakers. The lion's share of leftovers went to overseeing GMOs and foreign projects

newsroom.co.nz/2025/05/22/g...

Budget 2025: Science system funding - Expert Reaction Amid this year's science sector reforms, the 2025 Budget includes money for the establishment of three new Public Research Organisations and a gene tech regulator. Science, Innovation and Technology M...

Budget 2025 continues the government's shift of the science sector towards more "growth-promoting investments".
www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/05/22/b...

Budget 2025: $212m in cuts to existing business, science and innovation programmes No surprises in another thin year for the sector.

www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/b... Budget 2025 and tech: $212m in cuts to existing programmes as funds ‘reprioritised’; Elevate mini top-up; modest spending on new agencies confirmed

Budget 2025: $212m in cuts to existing business, science and innovation programmes No surprises in another thin year for the sector.

www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/b... Budget 2025 and tech: $212m in cuts to existing programmes as funds ‘reprioritised’; Elevate mini top-up; modest spending on new agencies confirmed

John Roche named as PM's new chief science advisor John Roche has been appointed to the top job, almost a year after the PM's former advisor stepped down.

Congratulations, John 🌺

John Roche named as PM's new chief science advisor www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Shaun signs a copy of his book ahead of drinking his beer

Great read - thanks for writing such an engaging book Shaun, and for creating a record of all that mahi five years ago, which made a huge difference 🌺
@hendysh.bsky.social

Single-use plastic bans quietly shelved A final wave of plastic bans has been pushed back indefinitely, though previous 'sustainable' replacements may not have been as green as they seem.

newsroom.co.nz/2025/04/16/s...

Harvard Will Not Comply With a List of Trump Administration Demands Federal officials said Harvard must enact “merit-based reform” in hiring and admissions and report international students who broke rules, among other steps. Harvard called the demands unlawful.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/u...

Science Amid Chaos: What Worked During the Pandemic? What Failed? As the coronavirus spread, researchers worldwide scrambled to find ways to keep people safe. Some efforts were misguided. Others saved millions of lives.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/h...

Devastating landslides have hit Milford Sound in the past – if it happened today, the impact would dwarf Whakaari/White Island A million tourists visit Milford Sound every year, including on cruise ships. What is the level of risk from natural disaster New Zealand is prepared to accept?

Devastating landslides have hit Milford Sound in the past – if it happened today, the impact would dwarf Whakaari/White Island
theconversation.com/devastating-...

5 years since COVID was declared a pandemic, we’re still poorly prepared for the next one It’s more than likely we’ll face another pandemic in the future. So what can we learn from COVID?

theconversation.com/5-years-sinc...

Why Trump Picked a Science Adviser Who Isn’t a Scientist Michael Kratsios, who served in the White House and Defense Department in the first Trump administration, is a policy specialist on artificial intelligence.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/29/s...

Astronomers have spied an asteroid that may be heading for Earth. Here’s what we know so far Asteroid 2024 YR4 has around a 1-in-77 chance of hitting Earth in 2032 – but there’s no need to panic.

Astronomers have spied an asteroid that may be heading for Earth. Here’s what we know so far
theconversation.com/astronomers-...

Welcome to the dark ages, where the stakes have never been higher

From the University of Auckland - Opinion: The appointment of conspiracy theorist RFK Jr as US Secretary of Health and Human Services is a catastrophe for public health.

Trump Administration Temporarily Mutes Federal Health Officials Scientific meetings were canceled, and research data on the bird flu outbreak was delayed, amid confusion over the directive.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/h...

National Science Foundation freezes grant review in response to Trump executive orders The National Science Foundation has canceled all grant review panels this week. It's unclear how long the pause could last.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

www.industry.gov.au/news/profess...

Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring Researchers facing “a lot of uncertainty, fear, and panic”

www.science.org/content/arti...

Despite fears of falling trust in expert knowledge, a global survey shows New Zealanders value science highly Even if there’s no acute crisis of trust in science, we shouldn’t minimise the disproportionate impact vocal minorities who distrust science may have on policy and society.

theconversation.com/despite-fear...

Bring back Muldoon's approach to gangs – plea Those who know gangs best want a return to Muldoon’s ‘carrot-and-stick’ approach, and rules to stop the media from sensationalising gangs.

newsroom.co.nz/2024/08/13/b...