World-leading science experts made redundant in Te Papa restructure

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Mollusc scientist Bruce Marshall was one of two internationally renowned experts made redundant in Te Papa's controversial restructure.

Two world-class scientists have been axed in Te Papa's controversial restructure, in a move critics have called a dark day for New Zealand science.

Stuff understands science collection managers Bruce Marshall and Andrew Stewart, who between them have more than 80 years of experience, have been made redundant. They have until Thursday to appeal.

The restructure replaced five science collection managers with two collection managers and three lower-paid jobs - two assistant curators and one technician. Critics have argued the changes jeopardised critical and irreplaceable knowledge and would compromise the care of the national collections. Collections staff had already been slashed by 42 per cent in a 2013 restructure.

Highly regarded fish collection manager Andrew Stewart has lost his job in Te Papa's controversial restructure.

It's understood Marshall and Stewart applied for several replacement positions, but were told they were not suitable. The fate of the three remaining collection managers remains uncertain.

**READ MORE:

Scientists say the loss of two experienced collections managers in Te Papa's restructure is a tragedy for science.

* Te Papa restructure risks loss of irreplaceable science expertise - critics

* What should the story of New Zealand in 2.5 million objects look like?

* Te Papa lacking enough internal staff to look after entire collection, experts say

* Te Papa's international reputation in good practice is richly deserved**

Otago University lecturer in ancient DNA, Nic Rawlence, said the redundancies were short-sighted.

Te Papa has advertised for a new mollusc researcher, despite having just got rid of world-leading molluscs expert Bruce Marshall.

'It is a very dark day for natural history in New Zealand. These are two of the most internationally respected scientists in their field and some of the most highly productive scientists at Te Papa.'

Both Marshall and Stewart declined to comment.

Scientists Mike Rudge, left, and Lionel Carter say Te Papa's restructure further dilutes an already depleted science collection management team.

Another Te Papa source said staff were stunned by the 'unfathomable' news, which brought some to tears. The source emphasised the importance of Stewart's and Marshall's experience in taxonomy - identifying, describing and naming New Zealand's flora and fauna, which underpins everything from identifying biosecurity pests to understanding relationships between different organisms. A Royal Society review in 2015 found taxonomists were an endangered species, and expertise took 10-15 years to build up.

'What is really being lost here is that taxonomic knowledge. That is what we have such a shortage of in New Zealand.'

Te Papa molluscs expert Bruce Marshall is so renowned in his field he has 23 species and six genera named after him, including the Bruceiella laevigata.

Former Te Papa birds curator Sandy Bartle said the redundancies were 'an absolute tragedy'.

The most prolific namer of species in Te Papa's history, Marshall had unparalleled knowledge about molluscs, Bartle said. 'There are thousands of species about which we know very little - most of which have been discovered by Bruce.'

Stewart's redundancy was 'a kick in the guts at the end of an outstanding professional career', he said.

Support for Marshall and Stewart has poured in from international colleagues. In an email to Bartle, American penguin expert David Ainley lamented 'the continued reduction of NZ's stature on the world scientific stage'. He called for a museum haka.

'These attacks on NZ natural history museums, by their disassembly, are wholly misdirected and fly in the face of what NZ should be selling to the world, instead of trips to make-believe Hobbit-land,' Ainley wrote.

Scientist Mike Rudge, who looked after the national collections from 1994 to 1998, said the redundancies were distressing and would cut into Te Papa's ability to look after the nation's treasures.

'What you're getting rid of is something you can't replace,' Rudge said. 'You might get some bright young chap or chapess with a masters or PhD but they don't have this mysterious thing called experience – knowing the context.'

On Wednesday, Te Papa board chairman Evan Williams told Parliament's social services and community select committee the museum was responding to radical changes in the science of collection care and modernising the way it looked after its collections.

'Unfortunately that's had consequences for some people. We are not indifferent to that in the slightest, but we have had to change … and we are taking better care of the collections than we used to.'

He would not comment on individuals while the employment process continued, but later said Te Papa's science team remained at 15 and research - including taxonomic research - would be strengthened by extra curators.

'The changes we are making have been carefully considered, with expert input including from an international panel. Collections-based research is at the heart of what Te Papa does, and that will never change.'