Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand)

The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) is a now-defunct government science agency in New Zealand, founded in 1926 and broken into Crown Research Institutes in 1992.

This article is about the defunct government science agency in New Zealand. For organisations called Department of Scientific and Industrial Research or DSIR in other countries see Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
Agency overview
Formed1926 (1926)
Preceding agencies
  • Geological Survey
  • Magnetic Survey
  • Meteorological Office
  • Hector Observatory
  • Samoan Scientific Service
Dissolved1 April 1992 (1992-04-01)
Superseding agency
Employees2,000 in 1976[1]

Foundation

DSIR was founded in 1926 by Ernest Marsden[1] after calls from Ernest Rutherford for government to support education and research[2] and on the back of the Imperial Economic Conference in London in October and November 1923, when various colonies discussed setting up such departments.[3] It initially received funding from sources such as the Empire Marketing Board.[4] The initial plans also included a new agricultural college, to be jointly founded by Auckland and Victoria University Colleges, Palmerston North was chosen as the site for this and it grew to become Massey University.[5]

Structure

DSIR initially had five divisions:[6]

The later Antarctic Division became Antarctica New Zealand in 1996.[8]

Dissolution

Reconstituted into initially 10 semi-independent entities called Crown Research Institutes by the Crown Research Institutes Act 1992, with some further consolidation since.[9]

See also
  • Category:People associated with Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand) (56)

Further reading
  • Galbreath, Ross (1998). DSIR: Making Science Work for New Zealand: Themes from the History of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, 1926–1992. Wellington [N.Z.]: Victoria University Press. ISBN 0864733542. OCLC 44633299.

References
  1. Nathan, Simon (6 October 2014). "Research institutions – Developing research organisations". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
  2. Brewerton, Emma (15 December 2014). "Ernest Rutherford". Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
  3. "AtoJs Online – Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives – 1924 Session I – A-06a IMPERIAL ECONOMIC CONFERENCE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF GREAT BRITAIN, THE DOMINIONS, INDIA, AND THE COLO... [truncated]". Atojs.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  4. "Sheep-raising poster from 1927 | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  5. "AtoJs Online – Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives – 1926 Session I – H-27 ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH IN NEW ZEALAND (STATEMENT BY THE RIGHT HON. THE P... [truncated]". Atojs.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  6. "3. DSIR research – Agricultural and horticultural research – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Teara.govt.nz. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  7. "Our History / About Us / Home – GNS Science". Gns.cri.nz. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  8. "Giant of Antarctica saved Scott Base". Stuff (Fairfax). 18 February 2009.
  9. "Crown Research Institutes Act 1992". legislation.govt.nz. 15 June 1992. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
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