Royal Society of New Zealand Research Honours
Six University of Auckland researchers were awarded top honours by the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Health
Research Council of New Zealand at a research honours dinner in Auckland last night (10 October 2017).
Honours awarded to University of Auckland researchers are:
Professor Peter Shepherd (Medical Sciences) won the Callaghan Medal for science communication, for developing activities
to increase the understanding of science by the New Zealand public. These include a programme to keep biology teachers,
and their students, up to date with the latest developments in the life sciences and recognition of the impact of the
Annual Queenstown Molecular Biology Research Week.
Professor Cris Shore (Social Sciences) was awarded the Mason Durie Medal for his contributions to political anthropology
and the study of organisations, governance and power. He has pioneered the use of anthropological methods to study
policy and institutions.
Professor Tracey McIntosh (Māori Studies and Pacific Studies) received the Te Rangi Hīroa Medal for advancing our
understanding of enduring social injustices that undermine Māori wellbeing and inhibit social cohesion and meaningful
cultural diversity in Aotearoa. Her research focuses on how to correct the intergenerational transmission of social
inequalities, how they pertain to Māori, and new indigenous knowledge and policies that work for Māori and the nation.
Dr Aroha Harris (Humanities) was awarded the inaugural Royal Society Te Apārangi Early Career Researcher Award in
Humanities for her substantial contributions to the award-winning Māori history, Tangata Whenua: An Illustrated History, which spans the entirety of Māori history. She was lead author of the section on sociocultural history of
twentieth-century Māori.
Dr Danny Osborne (Psychology) received the inaugural Royal Society Te Apārangi Early Career Research Award in Social
Sciences for his prolific research programme which has advanced understanding of the psychological barriers to
collective action. His research examines New Zealanders’ attitudes and shows that people’s basic needs for stability,
beliefs about their collective ability to change the system, and culture-specific beliefs about past injustices all
undermine collective action.
Professor Alistair Gunn (Medical Sciences) was awarded the Beaven Medal by the Health Research Council of New Zealand,
for his pioneering use of mild cooling to treat babies with brain injuries at birth.
University of Auckland Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Jim Metson says the awards further demonstrate the
quality and impact of research being carried out at the University. “We congratulate our academics on this well-deserved
recognition; we are proud of all their outstanding research and the contribution they are making to New Zealand and
internationally.”
ENDS