Māori Academics Take Aim At Royal Society Te Apārangi In Open Letter

Prominent Māori academics have taken aim at the Royal Society Te Apārangi about its proposed governance restructure which will remove dedicated Māori representation from its Council while shoring up the power of its Academy of Fellows.

The open letter addressed to the society President, Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding, includes a wide range of Māori signatories including distinguished Professors, Royal Society Fellows and members of the society’s Māori Electoral College. The letter strongly condemns the proposed governance restructure, which will halve the size of current Council from about 12 to six and remove its two existing Māori seats. At the same time, three of the proposed six seats will be taken up by the President and two top executives of the Society’s elite Academy of Fellows.

“The proposal raises significant concerns for many Māori who have worked hard over the years to support the Society to become a more inclusive, relevant and trusted place for Māori and indeed for Aotearoa generally. It feels like a major step backwards from the inclusive governance model we have been working towards and lacks any meaningful consideration of Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” says signatory, Professor Melinda Webber.

The academics say that the Royal Society’s proposal lacks a well-founded rationale and that the process has been rushed and top-down in nature. They are seeking a pause in the consultation process to allow for a more transparent and inclusive approach.

The open letter can be found at: https://www.maramatanga.ac.nz/news-events/open-letter-president-royal-society

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