Mahi Tahi 6

Our last annual report, Mahi Tahi 6, is now available. We reflect on our last year, and the ponder the difference we have made over the last six years.

Download Mahi Tahi 6 here

You can read Juliet’s foreword below:

Tēnā koutou katoa, ngā mihi o te wā ki a tātou. Ahakoa ngā ārai, ahakoa ngā aupiki me ngā auheke, mā te āta wānanga me te mahi tahi e whai rongoā, e whai rautaki kia anga whakamua ai tātou katoa. Kei te ao hurihuri tātou e noho nei engari mā te titiro ki ngā rā o mua me ngā kōrero o nehe, kei reira kitea ai he oranga mō tātou. Nā reira, anei ētahi pitopito kōrero.

As I come to the end of my second term, it is fitting that I take a moment to reflect on the last six years. As the saying goes, the days are long but the years are short. In my time as PMCSA this has certainly been the case. The days at times felt long, attending various research and science kaupapa, generating science advice to support the PM of the day and other relevant decision makers, and maintaining relationships with the science community in Aotearoa and internationally, to ensure our advice has been consistent with global best practice while being tailored to our national context. Yet, six years have passed rapidly.
Possibly the biggest event during my time as PMCSA was the emergence of COVID-19, an unexpected (and unwelcome) disrupter. Much has been and will be said about the response and specific decisions made during that time, but my lasting reflection of that period is a response centred around the evidence and a country that banded together to look after one another. Our response was one of the most effective, evidenced by one of the lowest excess death tolls in the world. I am proud to have played a role in supporting researchers to provide evidence central to our response.

One of the first things I did when I stepped into this role was meet with the science community across the country, asking what things they identified as key issues and wanted to see me focus on. We had people write their ideas on post it notes, and back in our office created a collage (see page 59). These ideas and the broader work of the science community in New Zealand have been inspiring and we managed to pick many of them up in our reports. We can be proud of our science communities and their impact both here and worldwide.

A real highlight has been seeing many of the reports the Office produced moving from evidence to action. The plastics report, produced in my first term, was accepted by the government and included in the speech from the throne by the then Governor General, Dame Patsy Reddy. Many of the recommendations in that report, have been implemented (see page 43).

​Some reports are yet to be implemented fully. My hope is that these reports are sources of information that can be used as the challenges identified within them continue to impact New Zealand. This includes our two most recent reports. The AI in healthcare report, which gives a vision for the future of our healthcare system that utilises AI, is an important stepping stone for wider work on ensuring that our healthcare system is fit for purpose in the future. The food waste project offers a comprehensive evidence synthesis and recommendations for how food waste could be reduced and how the waste that does occur could be used effectively and efficiently.

I have had the privilege of working for three Prime Ministers; each has brought their interest in and passion for different aspects of science. Ensuring the Prime Minister of the day, and their Ministers, have access to quality, evidence-based advice and research continues to be vital.
I want to acknowledge the wider group of people who have supported the Office and without whom the work wouldn’t get done. To all the Chief Science Advisors (CSA) of respective Ministries, Agencies, and Departments who make up the CSA Forum, it has been a pleasure getting to work alongside you. I also want to acknowledge the interns and fellows over the past six years. Their projects have been inspiring. A deep and warm thanks to all the people who have worked in the OPMCSA team over the last six years. Thank you to my current team – Dr George Slim, Jacqui Barclay, Dr Rebecca Benson, Dr Emma Brown, Dr Jacques de Satge and Carolle Varughese. Particular thanks must go to my Principal Advisor, Dr Susie Meade, for all her tireless work and support.

Lastly, I want to emphasise the importance of science in 2024 and beyond. We are facing many challenges and opportunities, from AI to climate change where science will play a critical role. Science, research, and evidence have never been more important than in this moment.

Ngā mihi nui,