Development partners – how can we help?

Outline Why R&D is important to New Zealand What development partners need so we can

help Australian and New Zealand support Developments on the horizon We need your help with a research task….

Why is research and development critical to New Zealand?

Because of grass – lots and lots of grass*. 

*A slight exaggeration – we have forests, fish and excellent bluff oysters too.

New Zealand

New Zealand has a well-diversified and reasonably sophisticated economy but it is heavily reliant on renewable natural resources.

We do not have huge oil or mineral resources to call on to boost our economy.

Our farmers are just as likely to have MBAs as degrees in biotechnology..

Business and technical skills go hand in hand because we have to export to survive; and have to compete against the Europeans

and the Americans with all their subsidies and quotas to do so.

New Zealand relies heavily on R&D to maintain our exporting edge

In 2009, $128million was allocated for research in general and $70million for agriculture research; an increase of $25million over four years. Other funds promote entry to new markets.

The most exciting work comes from industry itself. Dairy giant, Fonterra, is a prime example. Spreadable butter. Chocolate cheese in Asian markets. Use of a by-product to create a health supplement for the American market.

The universities are well attuned to industry and forward-looking needs. They service this through their research programmes and through their consultancy wings.

Pacific context

The Millennium Development Goals are the most immediate of the high level instruments that the PICs, NZ and Australia are party to. Progress is mixed and more needs to be done urgently.

In the current global climate of changing knowledge and greater dependency on technology, the need for knowledge and post secondary education is critical in order to contribute and compete within the international community.

Increased investment in post secondary education improves standards of living, increases incomes, improves leadership and expands choices.

Papua New Guinea

The lack of quality trade and university graduates is cited by PNG employers as an urgent, growing constraint, especially in those industries that drive the PNG economy into the future.

Scope for more productive partnerships between the private sector and education institutions to ensure graduates meet the needs of the private sector and development agenda of PNG

Obviously the development partners are keen to support this but we also have needs…

What do development partners need from tertiary education institutions?

Confidence – that you have properly identified and are responding to industry needs and are following international best (better) practice in doing so. We aren’t the experts.

Accountability – for funds received and programmes supported Evidence of impact – that what you ask us to support delivers Reliability and efficiency – that what we agree to help you with

is carried out in a timely fashion More input to determining priority areas of study for scholarships Technical advice; especially through research and consultancy

work (though not at the expense of the students)

New Zealand and Australian support in the Pacific

New Zealand and Australia provide scholarships to a number of Pacific Island countries for study:

– in Australia and New Zealand;– at institutions in the region, notably Fiji, Samoa and PNG; and – in your own home countries if the suitable facilities exist.

Agricultural research grants (AusAID) Institutional strengthening to NARs in PNG and,

potentially, more with the tertiary institutions.

New Zealand support to PNG

New Zealand provides three types of scholarships to PNG worth around NZD4million pa:

– New Zealand Development Scholarships (Public and Open) around 25 new awards per annum

– Short Term Training Awards (for up to 12 months)– Women in Agriculture and Forestry Scholarships

Priority areas for study in NZ: primary health and education, rural economic development, civil society. High level capacity building.

Completed Institutional Strengthening programme for the agriculture department at Vudal University.

We have to do better as well

Over 2200 women have received Women in Agriculture scholarships to date but we are well aware of the need to revitalize and update the scheme:

– A review is overdue– Insufficient tracer information exists– It is predominantly for diploma and certificate level when

clearly more are needed at post-graduate level– It appears to have created gender disparity between men and

women eg at TFTC where the number of NZAID scholarships has outstripped PNG scholarships at certificate level so the proportion of male students has dropped.

Australian support to PNG

Three Australian scholarship schemes, valued at AUD20m pa:– Australian Development Scholarships– Australian Leadership Award Scholarship– Australian Regional Development Scholarships

Over 1300 scholarships have been awarded since 1998. Ten percent of ADS scholarships will be set aside for the higher education sector in the next selection round

Work is about to commence on the PNG and Australian Partnership for Higher Education Schedule (focusing on universities and technical education).

Provision of agricultural research grants and support to the NARs

Australian support

A senior higher education advisor to support the office of the Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology and the Office of Higher Education

Placing corporate advisors in financial management and human resources at UPNG

Co funding the UPNG-Go8 Collaborative project develop a system to identify and use academics from Australian universities in professional short to medium term engagements at UPNG

Assisting DWU to connect local government, social and tertiary institutions in Madang to DWU through the PNG Academic Research Network (PNGAGRNet)

In partnership with the PNG Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, assessing the capacity and institutional needs of the Earth Sciences Division at UPNG and the Department of Mining Engineering at UNITECH to determine possible future support.

What is on the horizon?

PNG-Australia review of the PNG university system

New Zealand and Australia to jointly manage scholarships in PNG

Joint Australia-New Zealand review of scholarships in the Pacific

PNG-Australia Review of the PNG University system

Following an agreement between Prime Ministers Rudd and Somare in January 2009, Sir Rabbie Namaliu and Professor Ross Garnaut commenced a review of the PNG university system to inform the development of the university component of the schedule. AusAID will support implementation through a new programme with an anticipated start date in 2011

Why is this important to you?  It will begin to address the academic quality assurance/benchmarking

issues that constrain Australia and New Zealand from offering more scholarships for study at PNG institutions.

An opportunity to flag where study priorities need to change. Inform discussions re institutional strengthening of the tertiary institutions Will help inform discussions New Zealand want to have with Vanuatu and

the Solomon Islands about courses available to their students in PNG.

A/NZ scholarship management in PNG

New Zealand and Australia jointly manage their scholarship schemes in some PICs already, like Samoa. Consistent with the Cairns Compact on Strengthening Development Coordination in the Pacific; Australia and New Zealand will deliver their scholarship programmes through a joint facility to be known as Scholarships PNG. This will get underway mid-2010.

Why is this important to you? This is an opportunity to improve administration of awards,

prioritizing areas of study and improving the match between skills sought and courses offered.

Stops the need to choose between countries when applying – instead you get offered the best course for your particular needs.

More academics involved in post-graduate scholarship selection processes.

A/NZ Prime Ministerial review of scholarships in the Pacific

After the Cairns Forum meeting, the Australian and New Zealand Prime Ministers called for an urgent study on all scholarships in the Pacific to ascertain their range and whether they are meeting the needs of our Pacific neighbors. The report is due early next year.

Why is this important to you? This will inform revisions to all aspects of scholarship support for

study in A/NZ and at regional institutions: funding levels, priority areas for study, levels of study, capacity building, administration…

It’s a chance to explain the strategic benefit of development partners funding (agricultural) research rather than leaving it to industry players and PIC governments to support.  So….

We need your help with a research task…

This workshop is a uniquely useful grouping of academics, industry reps etc from the Pacific.

Your views would be greatly appreciated

Please take today and tomorrow to fill out the questionaire (not all are relevant to you).

Give them back to me by the end of Friday.