The Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa/New Zealand (ASAA/NZ) is dismayed by the government’s decision to abolish the Marsden Fund’s Social Sciences and Humanities panels. We are deeply concerned by the extent this will set back the affected disciplines and New Zealand’s research environment as a whole. We ask that this arbitrary decision be reversed with immediate effect.
It is particularly alarming that the decision was taken in total absence of public consultation, with no evidence to support the implication that social science and humanities research does not contribute to “enhancing New Zealand's quality of life” (Collins, 4 Dec 2024).
The sweeping measures will have multiple, rippling effects. They eliminate the principal source of contestable research funding for a vast array of disciplines crucial to the betterment of our society. Social sciences and humanities research illuminates human behaviour, cultural diversity, history, demographics, politics, social cohesion and much more. It contributes to policy decision making at all levels and stimulates informed, intelligent public debate.
Many thousands of articles and hundreds of books accessible to the public have been researched, written and published with support from Marsden Fund humanities and social science grants. For example, over the past few years these include titles on biological economies, truth and reconciliation processes in the Pacific, and new Chinese immigrants in New Zealand. These are by researchers “who are looking to create a better country for us all” (Collins, 4 Dec, 2024). To stem the flow of such work is a disservice to our nation.
For decades, the Marsden Fund has been the gold standard of research funding in the social sciences and humanities, involving multiple levels of peer review to ensure that research proposals meet rigorous local and global academic standards. The threat to this funding source will seriously jeopardise New Zealand’s standing and competitiveness in the international research community. It will also lead to a decline in research-led teaching, impacting the quality of education that tertiary students receive. This is not only a disservice to our national student body but will also have consequences for the attractiveness of New Zealand universities to international students. In addition, many graduate students in the social sciences and humanities have benefited from scholarships derived from Marsden grants. To close off this mentoring and supervisory pathway stifles the next generation of scholars.
ASAA/NZ is especially concerned about the impact of the changes on Māori research and the reframing of research value as one attuned solely to economic growth and scientific pragmatism. The core issues we face as a society – from ensuring an effectively running health system to addressing climate change – are complex and require diverse disciplinary perspectives. Technological fixes alone cannot solve societal problems. Understanding human behaviours, systems, cultures, norms and actions is essential. Indeed, to prioritise a purely economic or scientific disciplinary approach, is to misunderstand how contemporary research and researchers operate as well as to misconstrue the modern world and human experience.
We implore the government to rethink and reverse its decision.
