Wednesday, 4 December 2019
Invermay staff seek details on their future
Jock Allison
‘‘Some of the staff are pretty cynical about where we are, as there has been no communication with any staff, saying they will not have to shift to Lincoln,’’ Dr Allison said.
It appeared AgResearch was still ‘‘hell-bent’’ on building a new facility at Lincoln, and there was no detail on whether the building plan was being scaled due to the decision to keep staff in Dunedin, he said.
If the Crown Research Institute continued to ‘‘obfuscate’’ over the issue, that would ‘‘indicate the need for more political action’’, Dr Allison said.
‘‘There is enormous obfuscation from AgResearch who have refused to discuss their [Future Footprint plan] with all and sundry for years.’’
Despite that, AgResearch would not answer specific questions from the Otago Daily Times last week or again yesterday.
The questions included exactly how many staff remained at Invermay, whether they had been specifically told they would no longer have to move, or under what circumstances they could yet be asked to relocate.
The organisation’s media liaison person declined the ‘‘offer’’ to answer questions, saying AgResearch did not have ‘‘anything further to add’’.
On Friday, the ODT reported a letter of expectation sent to AgResearch by Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods, stressed the need to maintain Invermay as ‘‘a centre of research for the primary sector, especially in respect of sheep genetics and genomics’’.
‘‘I expect you to maintain human and physical capital already developed at this site,’’ she wrote.
AgResearch acting chairman Dr Paul Reynolds wrote back to the minister, confirming the organisation was ‘‘committed to maintaining our human and physical capital’’ at Invermay.
Dr Allison said yesterday the letter of expectation had gone to AgResearch in July, but only recently emerged on its website, and months later staff at Invermay were ‘‘still being given the mushroom treatment’’.
He said it was ‘‘disgraceful’’ that AgResearch’s management and board ‘‘have not, and do not seem able to, communicate with staff [about] what the Megan Woods letter means to them’’.
It was a continuation of poor communication with staff in the six years since the proposal to relocate up to 85 Invermay staff to other campuses, as part of the Future Footprint plan, was first revealed, he said.
‘‘This has resulted in considerable staff unrest, and has meant that many staff have moved on, and the uncertainty has also cause problems with recruitment ... all of this eroding any career structure in Science with particularly toxic effects down here.’’
chris.morris@odt.co.nz
Friday, 29 November 2019
‘Invermay is here to stay’
Jock Allison, asked what
lessons there were for the
future, replied: "Do what
common sense tells you."
common sense tells you."
.....Campaigners are declaring victory in the six-year fight to save
Dunedin’s Invermay research campus and the dozens of top science jobs
still based there.
Dunedin North Labour MP David Clark yesterday revealed a letter of
expectation sent to AgResearch — which runs Invermay — by Research,
Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods.AgResearch, as part of its Future Footprint plan, had intended to relocate top scientists and support staff — particularly those focused on sheep genetics and genomics — from Invermay to Lincoln.
But, after years of campaigning in Dunedin and in Parliament, the letter of expectation from Dr Woods stressed the need to maintain Invermay as "a centre of research for the primary sector, especially in respect of sheep genetics and genomics".
"I expect you to maintain human and physical capital already developed at this site," she wrote.
AgResearch acting chairman Dr Paul Reynolds wrote back to the minister, confirming the organisation was "committed to maintaining our human and physical capital" at Invermay.
Dr Clark said the letter was "as clear as the Crown gets about its intentions", and AgResearch’s response showed it got the message.
He was "delighted" by the outcome, which meant Invermay "has been saved".
"The Coalition Government has made its position on Invermay clear as day — Invermay is here to stay," he said.
AgResearch acting chief executive Tony Hickmott said Invermay would "remain integral" to land-based research and "crucial" to AgResearch’s four-campus plans.
And, if AgResearch continued to collaborate and deliver "quality research", "the future looks really bright for Invermay, as it does for all of our research centres".
The developments came too late for more than 40 staff who had already quit Invermay since the Future Footprint plan was announced in 2013.....
