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.

Foundation

DSIR was founded in 1926 by Ernest Marsden after calls from Ernest Rutherford for government to support education and research and on the back of the Imperial Economic Conference in London in October and November 1923, when various colonies discussed setting up such departments. It initially received funding from sources such as the Empire Marketing Board. 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 Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

Structure

DSIR initially had five divisions: * Grasslands in Palmerston North * Plant Diseases in Auckland * Entomology, attached to the

Cawthron Institute The Cawthron Institute is New Zealand's largest independent science organisation, specialising in science that supports the environment and development within primary industries. Cawthron has its main facilities in Nelson. It works with regional ...

in Nelson * Soil Survey (later

Soil Bureau New Zealand Soil Bureau was a division of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research specializing in soil-related research and development. Originally formed as the 'soil su ...

) in

Taita Taita may refer to: * Taita people, a Bantu ethnic group in Kenya * Taita language, a Bantu language *Taitā, New Zealand, a suburb of Lower Hutt City * Taita Hills, a mountain range in Kenya * Taita Cushitic languages, an extinct pair of Afro-Asi ...

* Agronomy (later Crop Research Division) in Lincoln * Geophysics Division from 1951 The later Antarctic Division became

Antarctica New Zealand Antarctica New Zealand is an Institute set up by the Government of New Zealand in 1996 to manage its interests in Antarctica and the Ross Sea. As well as providing logistics support to a large scientific programme, it also runs bases such as Sco ...

in 1996.

List of directors-general

The following is a list of Directors-General (Chief Executive) of DSIR: * Ernest Marsden - 1926 to 1947 *

Frank Callaghan Francis Raymond Callaghan (15 April 1891 – 10 March 1980) was a New Zealand teacher, Agriculture, agricultural instructor and scientific administrator. Callaghan was born on 15 April 1891 at Lincoln, New Zealand, Lincoln. He succeeded ...

- 1947 to 1953 * Bill Hamilton - 1953 to 1971 * Eddie Robertson - 1971 to 1980 * Bruce Miller - 1980 to 1984 * Jim Ellis - 1984 to 1989 * Mike Collins - 1989 to 1994

Dissolution

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

References

External links

Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
entry in the 1966 edition of the ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand'' {{Authority control 1926 establishments in New Zealand 1992 disestablishments in New Zealand Scientific organisations based in New Zealand Former government agencies of New Zealand