20th century scientists

The 20th century saw the explosion of science in a variety of fields as a new understanding of the world emerged in scientific disciplines as diverse as genetics, geology and cosmology. Although New Zealand science continued to be dominated by men, the century saw growing numbers of women in science. By the end of the century, many scientific disciplines at university had equal numbers of male and female students, with some courses even dominated by women.

The most significant development in the early 20th century was the establishment of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in 1926. The DSIR consolidated many of the government's existing scientific organisations and established new research divisions as it followed the British DSIR's model of focusing on science in support of industry and economic development. As Ross Galbreath wrote in his history of the DSIR, the organisation "surveyed, identified and classified the country’s animal, vegetable and mineral resources; worked on ways of increasing the utilisation of natural resources and reducing the risks of natural disasters; bred better plant varieties and developed better pest and disease control methods for agriculture and horticulture; and provided advice for industrial developments, standards for commerce and industry, and analyses for the maintenance of public health and the administration of justice".¹

The 20th century also saw the renaming of the New Zealand Institute as the Royal Society of New Zealand, and a growth in the number of scientific journals focused on publishing the work of New Zealand scientists, with individual journals on topics such as botany, zoology, geology and geophysics, agricultural research and marine and freshwater research.

But not all scientists followed an academic path. Some of the most valuable contributions to New Zealand science were made by amateur or self-taught scientists, who managed to fit their passion for science into a busy work schedule or retirement. Some of these enthusiasts, like  palaeontologist Joan Wiffen and astronomer Albert Jones, have worked mostly alone, while others enjoy the support of non-governmental environmental or scientific organisations.

¹ Ross Galbreath, DSIR: making science work for New Zealand, Victoria University Press in association with the Historical Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1998, p.9.

The material in this online exhibition was originally developed for the National Library Gallery exhibition 'Butterflies, Boffins & Black Smokers: Two Centuries of Science in New Zealand', curated by Veronika Meduna and Rebecca Priestly in 2006.