[Taxacom] Historical sciences in New Zealand

[John Grehan]

In reference to the mammal fossil recently described for New Zealand
referred to earlier by Ken Kinman, I was interested in the following
statement published in the Dominion Post December 12, 2006.

"Mr Worthy was a world expert on moa when he was effectively forced out
of New Zealand last year when the Foundation for Research Science and
Technology rejected his application for a $200,000 grant over four
years."

This illustrates an ongoing problem in NZ where 'competitive funding' is
used as the foundation or research rather than as a supplement (as in
the US and elsewhere) so if a research program does not get funded
according to the vagaries of managed priorities and mediocrity (funding
by a vote of peers is by definition funding through mediocrity) it
effectively goes down the drain - or goes elsewhere if it can.

John Grehan