Seaweek Royal Society Lecture

7:30 PM, 3 March 2015, National Aquarium of New Zealand, Marine Parade, Napier

Anton Van Helden

Marine Mammal and Museum consultant, Illustrator, cartoonist, and entertainer

For 24 years, Anton managed one of the worlds largest collections of Marine Mammals, exhibition planning and design, collections management, research (particularly on beaked whales), specimen acquisition, preparation and preparative processes, illustration, communication, lecturing, workshop development and implementation and specimen handling. He was involved in adding over 1000 specimens of marine mammals to New Zealand’s national marine mammal collection.

Anton was involved in the description of Perrin’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon perrini), the resurrection of the Spade-toothed whale (Mesoplodon traversii) and adding several species of cetacean to the New Zealand fauna. He was instrumental in the development of the Whales Tohora exhibition (currently touring North America) and the exhibit Wild Design at Te Papa.

Anton produced numerous illustrations for Te Papa for the exhibitions NatureSpace, Blood-Earth-Fire, The Colossal squid, Whales Tohora and other online and printed resources.

Members and friends joined the Branch Council at the Holt Planetarium on Monday 8 December for a small celebration at the start of the festive season. This was prior to the evening lecture by Hamish Campbell.

This was also an opportunity to recognise the support for lectures we receive from the Holt Planetarium, and the staff at the National Aquarium who between them host most of our events. Thanks especially, Gary and Carol.

How and where to find them

Dr Hamish Campbell, GNS Science.
Monday 8 December 

Hamish Campbell, here to support the fascinating Dinosaur Footprints exhibition at The National Aquarium of New Zealand, delivered a virtuoso performance on topics far wider than merely the dinosaur record. Anyone who has heard Dr Campbell speak on radio or TV will attest to the clarity with which he communicates to a lay audience.

By the end of its ninety minutes, his talk, and his answers to the many questions from the audience ranged across the origins of the land masses that make up modern New Zealand and neighbouring islands, the tectonic plates and faults that determine its seismicity, the geology evident at its surface (including fossil discoveries), through to evidence of climate change and its likely future consequences.

Preceded by festive drinks and nibbles, this lecture brought the year to a fitting and entertaining close.

7:30PM Wednesday 29th October at the Holt Planetarium, Chambers St, Napier

The Royal Society of New Zealand undertook a major review of the rapidly changing New Zealand population, and the implications of this for the economy, social cohesion, education, and health. Its purpose was to promote informed discussion of the implications of the 2013 New Zealand Census for understanding the changing nature of New Zealand society.

Our Futures: Te Pae Tāwhiti brought together data and analysis from the 2013 census and other sources, together with input from a wide range of researchers, to provide evidence-based pointers to the future of New Zealand society. It covers seven key themes: diversity, population change, tangata whenua, migration, households and families, regional variation, and work.

More information here>

The presentation was delivered by Professor Paul Spoonley.

Distinguished Professor Spoonley is one of New Zealand’s leading academics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He joined the Massey staff in 1979 and was, until becoming Pro Vice-Chancellor in October 2013, the College’s Research Director and Auckland Regional Director. He has led numerous externally funded research programmes, including the Ministry of Science and Innovation’s $3.2 million Integration of Immigrants  and the $800,000 Nga Tangata Oho Mairangi. He has written or edited 25 books and is a regular commentator in the news media.

In 2010, Professor Spoonley was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of California Berkeley and in 2013, a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Goettingen. He was awarded the Royal Society of New Zealand Science and Technology medal in 2009 in recognition of his academic scholarship, leadership and public contribution to cultural understanding  and in 2011, his contribution to Sociology was acknowledged with the Sociological Association of Aotearoa New Zealand’s scholarship for exceptional service to New Zealand sociology. In 2013, he was given the title of Distinguished Professor, Massey University’s highest academic title.

Thursday 18 September 7:30PM Venue: Holt Planetarium,  Chambers St, Napier

Emeritus Professor Gerry Carrington presented the recent Royal Society of New Zealand paper on a Green Economy for New Zealand. The good numbers attending showed the interest in this topic and in our region.

Gerry is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Otago, a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a Fellow of the Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand. He is a trustee of the National Energy Research Institute and the Blueskin Resilient Communities Trust.

In 2009, Gerry was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Energy Award” by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, and was noted by the judging panel as being “a leader of change based on academic principles” and “an educator of future generations of energy specialists.”  He is also the founder of the National Energy Research Institute (NERI), an independent, research evidence-based organisation that strives to be a ‘thought-leader’ of the energy sector.

Facing the future: towards a green economy for New Zealand

The United Nations Environment Programme proposes a Green Economy as an effective response to a number of linked global concerns: income disparity, population growth, green-house gas emissions, and atmospheric and freshwater pollution. Facing the future: towards a green economy for New Zealand suggests that NZ can respond to these issues and achieve economic, social and environmental benefits by becoming a green economy, which is:  low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.

A key message of the talk is drawn from the Global Risks 2014 report: “collaborative multi-stakeholder action is required as businesses, governments, or civil society alone do not have the tools and the authority to tackle systemic risks”.

The Royal Society of New Zealand says environmental problems are beginning to threaten social and economic well-being and that New Zealand would benefit from a move to a green economy.

In Facing the future: towards a green economy for New Zealand, the Society highlights research on the resource and consumption challenges facing New Zealand and the rest of the world, and the opportunities for dealing with them. It concludes that New Zealand can have a number of economic, social and environmental gains by accelerating its move to a green economy.

Human consumption growth over the last century has had significant effects on the global environment, such as reduced water quality, loss of biodiversity and a changing climate. These environmental changes are not good for long-term sustainability and well-being. The panel agrees that New Zealand can avoid adverse consequences for the economy, society and the environment if it reconsiders its direction of development.

New Zealand has several targets for reducing national net greenhouse gas emissions, including a 50% reduction by 2050 compared with 1990. However, recent modelling by the Ministry for the Environment indicates that by 2040 New Zealand’s net GHG emissions are expected to be 51% higher than the 1990 baseline.

A green economy is defined by the United Nations Environment Programme as being resource efficient, low carbon and socially inclusive. The Society says New Zealand is well positioned to become a green economy with its many natural advantages, such as extensive renewable energy sources. We also have many opportunities to increase our resource efficiency, which means improved productivity. Many businesses and organisations are already aiming for sustainability. Communities are working together for change, and innovators and entrepreneurs are ready to grasp the opportunities of a greener economy.

The paper identifies a number of barriers that need to be overcome, such as the perception there are trade-offs between being economically competitive and being sustainable, and that a green economy might lead to a lower standard of living.  Raqher, there is growing recognition of alternative indicators better suited than GDP for capturing the quality, quantity and sustainability of economic activity.

The aim of the paper is to encourage the discussions that will help shape a sustainable future. Becoming a green economy will require action and collaboration across all sectors of society. It’s good that we are already seeing this happen.

The paper was authored by a Royal Society of New Zealand panel chaired by Emeritus Professor Gerry Carrington FRSNZ. The Panel members were: Professor Geoff Austin FRSNZ, Dr Sea Rotmann, Professor Ralph Sims CRSNZ, Dr Janet Stephenson, Professor John Boys FRSNZ, Professor Les Oxley FRSNZ, and Dame Anne Salmond CBE FRSNZ.