‍Comment from the President

Kia ora, I hope 2026 has started well for you, and you had an enjoyable summer break.

I am writing these comments in late November 2025, and I am certainly looking forward to my summer break to rest, reflect, and recharge after what has been a busy year. It was great to be able to visit all of the NZIC branches in 2025, share my research on chemistry PhD graduate destinations, and talk to members and get your thoughts regarding the NZIC. Sam has recently given me the preliminary results of the NZIC survey, and I have also been working on the results of the New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS) survey which some of you may have completed (thank you if you did). Looking at these different sources of information, I can see some common themes emerging which will guide us in what we do in 2026.

First, we are seeing strong support from members regarding the importance of outreach to schools and the broader community. This is reinforced by the NZAS survey which shows that almost 50% of scientists and technologists who chose a STEM pathway were influenced by an older scientist, technologist or engineer. Consequently, if we want more students studying chemistry (and related subjects) then increasing their exposure to chemists and chemistry related activities seems an obvious way forward. I know many of our members already connect with students through science fairs and other events, but the question I have is what else can we be doing to connect with and encourage our next generation of chemists? And how do we do this as efficiently as possible, because we are all busy people. 

In addition to helping develop the next generation of chemists, outreach is also important in showing the positive role that chemistry plays in many aspects of our lives, for example in food safety, environmental monitoring, and new materials and medicines. If more people understand the value of what chemistry (and science more broadly) offers to society, then perhaps we would have more support pushing for expansion of science funding rather than the contraction of science funding which is currently occurring.

NZIC members have also expressed a desire for more support for chemists in the workplace. This year Sam has been engaging with chemistry graduate employers so we can advertise chemistry jobs through the NZIC webpage. If you become aware of any such jobs, please pass them on to Sam at nzic.office@gmail.com. Also, if you have any other ideas on how we can better support chemists in the workplace, feel free to send these to Sam as well.

Finally, some of our members have asked me what we are doing in response to the current government’s underfunding of science, which someone described to me as “shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic”. I am working with the New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS) to see what we can do next year to highlight the value of chemistry/science and the problems we will face if it continues to be underfunded. As 2026 will be an election year, it is important that we both collectively and individually (e.g. by talking to your local politicians) highlight that investing in science provides economic, environmental and societal benefits. I attended an NZAS meeting to see what we can do collectively, so watch this space.

I also attended an NZIC tertiary education workshop where it was great to catch up with some of our passionate chemistry educators, as things have been a little quiet in this space for a few years. A big thanks to David McMorran for getting folks together again. I think these annual workshops are a great way to share teaching expertise and practice and learn from each other.

Congratulations to all of those awarded NZIC prizes this year. It is great to be able to recognise your hard work and talent. All the applicants were of high calibre which made the judges’ decisions difficult. For those applicants eligible to apply again I would encourage you to do so, you are all making some amazing contributions to chemistry. 

I would like to finish by thanking all of those who make the NZIC what it is – the branch committees, council members, executive team, and everyone who organises and takes part in NZIC and other events around the country. And a special thanks to Sam Eason for keeping me on track and for her initiative in engaging with chemistry employers. When we can bring together the knowledge, skills and passion of all of our members we can do great things.

Nau te rourou, naku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri. With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.

Noho ora mai

‍

Michael Edmonds
‍NZIC President