Science cure sought for the economy

"Good science backed by economic policies is the fuel that powers innovation" says Dr Bill Kain, retired scientists and past chairman of AGMART.

The lack of investment in science is a hot issue with universities and science providers in NZ.

Many of the controversial issues that are facing agriculture today need good strong science to give direction to decision makers.

Would the debates over 1080, ETS, irrigation development, and dairy's expansion be so emtional if science could answer more of the question we have been raising.

NZ long ago walked away from its best chance at economic transformation, a retiring agriculture industry leader says in Stuff.

Bill Kain has watched, frustrated, for more than 20 years as NZ governments have let their investment in science dwindle and allowed the national agricultural productive capacity to run down.

It is the reason we have slipped down the standings of the world's industrial nations, he says.

Science, backed by sound economic policies, is the fuel that powers innovation, the former scientist and crown research institute leader says.

But supplies of the fuel are down to a trickle.

There is a desperate need for policies that redirect investment away from speculative real estate and into agriculture production, he says. He hopes that recent government moves in the Budget and to reform Crown research institutes will help, but asks why they have taken so long to come.

After nine years as a trustee of primary industries investor the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (Agmardt), the past three as chairman, Dr Kain is stepping down.

"I have seen rapid and unexpected exposure to underfunding and loss of capabilities in critically important and strategic areas of research," he says.

"The talk these days is about economic transformation as what they want out of science. But we had economic transformation and we walked away from it."