Robertson Grant: Royal Society of New Zealand Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Robertson Grant: Royal Society of New Zealand Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:673;Page:19887] 
GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) 
: 
 I think it is timely for me to respond to the very interesting questions asked by my colleague Jacinda Ardern. I would not dare to respond in terms of the matters she raised with regard to the Hon Rodney Hide. I would certainly leave him to make any contribution he may wish to make in that regard. But I do want to answer her question about exactly who will be making the very important decisions covered under section 18 of the principal Act which is being amended here by clause 13 of the Royal Society of New Zealand Amendment Bill and to say it is the academy executive committee. 
The academy executive committee consists of what are called the three discipline-based vice-presidents. That should not be confused with their having any role in discipline. This is a case of using the word “discipline” in the context of an academic discipline. There are three discipline-based vice-presidents: the vice-president (biological and life sciences); the vice-president (physical sciences mathematics engineering and technology); and to keep Dr Prasad happy the vice-president (social sciences). Those three vice-presidents are on the academy executive committee and will make the decision about whether to revoke the membership of a member of the Royal Society. In addition to that there are three other Royal Society of New Zealand councillors who must also be fellows who are on the executive committee. I imagine that if the issue they were dealing with related to another fellow there might be some questions of conflicts of interest. But in terms of dealing with a complaint about the revocation of membership that complaint would be dealt with by the academy executive committee with the three councillors on it. There are also three more fellows added to make up the full Royal Society council. 
The question Jacinda Ardern asked was whether a lawyer could be added to that body if there were a disciplinary matter or a revocation of membership under consideration. There is not currently anything in the Royal Society rules that allows for that. The Royal Society rules about that simply state that membership is for a 3-year term that members cannot hold office on the academy executive committee for more than two terms and that the committee will be chaired by one of the vice-presidents. The rules also talk about vacancies in the event of deaths or resignations. But there is nothing in the rules about adding in any legal expertise to the executive committee to make decisions about the revocation of membership under section 18 of the principal Act as amended here in clause 13. I would imagine I say for Jacinda Ardern’s benefit that the academy executive committee may well take legal advice in this situation. I think that would be the only wise course of action if the committee was moving towards the idea of revoking someone’s membership. But it is a very valid question and I think that the debate on this clause tonight which has been very valuable has drawn out the fact that this sanction is quite severe and that considerable thought needs to be given to it. 
I have tried in this intervention to indicate that the academy executive committee which is now being named here under clause 13 is an august body with three vice-presidents representing the full gamut of the activities covered by the Royal Society and also with the addition of other fellows who will be part of the academy executive committee for the period that they are there. I note that as we move on through the bill we will be making some changes to the way that the academy executive committee operates and when we get to that point it will be worth reflecting back to the question of whether that committee is now constructed in a way that represents the full activity of the Royal Society. But for now the academy executive committee will be making that serious decision about whether someone’s membership should be revoked. 
Hon Steve Chadwick 
: Is there a complaints committee? 
GRANT ROBERTSON 
: I was just about to come to my colleague Steve Chadwick’s question. 
No there is no complaints committee process. I think given that the academy executive committee is such an august body most members will be comfortable with that. I presume however as with any public organisation that judicial review could come into play. If somebody did have his or her membership revoked it would be possible to move it to that higher level. But within the rules of the Royal Society there is no complaints process beyond a complaint being referred to the academy executive committee. I feel that probably gives sufficient closure for that matter.