Science adviser appointed

DR Chris Daughney

DR CHRIS Daughney has just been appointed inaugural chief science adviser to Te Uru Kahika, the Regional and Unitary Councils of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Uru Kahika is a collection of 16 regional and unitary authorities that have been working together on a wide range of matters, charged with managing land, air, and water resources, supporting biodiversity and biosecurity, providing for regional transport services, and building more resilient communities in the face of climate change and natural hazards.

Dr Daughney said the authorities over time recognised the need to establish a collective brand and the appointment of a chief science adviser, became “parallel to that part of the discussion”.

“The role of the chief science adviser is broad, and it complements the scientific activity the regional authorities have collectively and individually been undertaking for a long time,” he said.

Since each region had its unique environmental characteristics, it was important to study them and integrate all the learnings into national data, which would help the necessary authorities to respond locally when required.

Dr Daughney said the idea was to have readily available, robust scientific evidence and data to help each individual regional authority respond in its area of jurisdiction.

“If you use the example of Gisborne floods last year, the way heavy rain leads to expression of a flood depends on the catchment, its characteristics and the idea of how hydrology works. All this data helps to form a national perspective.

“So when the time comes, we could transfer that nationalised understanding to other regions where people may need it. The understanding of what caused those floods is relevant and how they manifest locally is what regional authorities can learn from one and another.”

Dr Daughney said the role of the regional authorities was complex and multifaceted, such as dealing with natural disasters to climate change. His role involved two functions — inward and outward.

The “inward function” was to assist and complement the collective effort regional authorities were already undertaking, in the way science was carried out and to secure the best value from scientific initiatives.

His “outward function” was to assist with the interface between the regional sector and other parties in Aotearoa.

“That's including the central government and other departments like MoE, MPI, and DoC,” he said.

It was also about interfacing with the science system including universities.

With increasing environmental complexity, decisions facing the councils such as climate change and biosecurity, and legislative reforms, the role of the chief science adviser would be to help “smooth the process and the science behind it.”

Before joining NIWA, Dr Daughney held roles as principal science lead at the Ministry for the Environment, and as a director within the executive team at GNS Science.

He has had science advisery positions in central government and several regional councils, which reflected his understanding of the regional sector's operating environment and complements his PhD in environmental geochemistry.

“The sector is a crucial cog in New Zealand's science system. I look forward to raising its profile and strengthening the sector's relationship with other environmental science providers and policymakers.”