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Budget Pronouncements Bring Joy

Glad tidings and great joy -- not the usual response to Budget Night pronouncements, but those of us locked away in the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology did have cause for celebration if not jubilation.

I had had hopes for the place of science in the Budget, ever since hearing it mentioned in passing as a possible beneficiary of the surplus. The unusual move of offering a Budget Night lockup for science reporters only served to confirm that there would be news of note.

The pre-announcement atmosphere of "quiet confidence" was certainly justified as the science minister began to talk of a $77 million increase in science funding over the next three years, financial support for the potentially endangered national taxonomic collections, commitment to a new fund for basic science research, and a huge leap in science promotion through fellowships, science education programmes and the science and technology centres.

Simon Upton sees these commitments as providing the foundation for real optimism in the research community and says that "for the first time in years" he feels really confident about the future for New Zealand science. It was good to see that that confidence was shared by many of the science managers and policy people present.

It also makes me more sanguine about attempting to persuade science students -- whether through these pages or in the increasing number of speaking engagements I'm doing -- that there is a future for science in New Zealand. At times, that future has looked pretty bleak.

The next thing will be to demonstrate to the science community as a whole that such confidence is justified. Certainly many of the measures announced are ones which have been at the heart of much debate and dissension over the past five years: has the current system over-emphasised commercially applicable research at the expense of basic research? How do we support our internationally significant collections?

This Budget has, at least, recognised these concerns. It won't solve all problems or contentions, by any means, but then what Budget ever has?

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.