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There’s a tikanga around death, which needs to include digital files too, experts say (Image: Tina Tiller/Getty Images)

ScienceAugust 5, 2020

The camp giving Māori and Pasifika students a pathway into science

digital marae looking futuristic
There’s a tikanga around death, which needs to include digital files too, experts say (Image: Tina Tiller/Getty Images)

The MacDiarmid Institute DiscoveryCamp gives Māori and Pasifika high school students a taste of life as a scientist. Teuila Fuatai finds the experience often leads to much more. 

Eden Skipper loves eeling. “It is a family tradition,” he says proudly. The 22-year-old of Ngāi Tahu descent grew up on the east coast of Canterbury, near Lake Wairewa where his whānau catch tuna (eels) every year. 

At school, he had a strong interest in physics, chemistry, and statistics, so studying science at university was a logical step. He completed a Bachelor of Science in Statistics at the University of Canterbury last year, and began his current role at the Ministry for the Environment just before the level four lockdown. 


Applications for the 2021 Discovery Scholarships are now open. Apply here.


Skipper, whose official title is policy analyst, draws an interesting link between his science background and where he’s landed in the workforce. That journey started with his experience as a high school student at the 2015/16 MacDiarmid Institute DiscoveryCamp.  

“What I liked most was that we actually went into facilities and we met some of the leading researchers and were able to put science into application,” Skipper says. 

“It’s being able to look into some of the very high-level, technical stuff and then look at how they’re put into application – see how it works in a commercial setting.” 

Eden Skipper relished the hands on education at DiscoveryCamp (Photo: supplied)

Skipper is one of hundreds of Māori and Pasifika students who have attended the MacDiarmid Institute Discovery summer camps over the past decade. The fully funded, residential programmes provide year 12 and 13 students hands-on lab and research experience with top scientists. 

They are among a raft of initiatives at the MacDiarmid Institute targeting low numbers of Māori and Pasifika people in the science workforce (less than 2%). A new research paper, released this week, also showed that the overall percentage of both Māori and Pasifika scientists at universities and crown research institutes stagnated in the past 10 years. Published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, the research highlighted a serious lack of understanding among HR departments about ethnicity and diversity. One university also said it had not employed any Māori and Pasifika academics in its science department between 2008 to 2018. 

That inequity in representation has also been recognised by the government, which pledged in 2018 to support diversity initiatives in the sciences. This year, the MacDiarmid Institute also announced a new set of university scholarships specifically for Māori and Pasifika students studying physical sciences, Māori sciences or sciences related to sustainable innovation.

Skipper says his experience at the camp helped set in motion his degree path, and subsequent job focus. “After the camp I realised that academia or research wasn’t actually the right pathway. Not to say that science wasn’t – I chose statistics which is still a science,” he says. 

“But a lot of the work that I had seen, you needed a PhD, and you had to be researching for 10 years. As much as I was interested in those areas, I wasn’t willing to commit to that.”

He leaned into studying the science of decision making, which for him utilised his passion for statistics and frameworks. It set him up with a unique set of skills for policy analysis, and Skipper points to his time at DiscoveryCamp as integral to forming that broad perspective. 

“I think science is a very strong foundation for lots of different things,” he says. “A lot of times people stick to their lanes. For example, with policy – people tend to study law and a few other arts majors. It seems channelled or focused. But diversity of thought is important. And now that I’m in a policy space, I can actually apply the science knowledge I have.” 

The 2020 Wellington DiscoveryCamp and NanoCamp class (Photo: supplied).

Lizzie Tafili, an attendant at the 2014 DiscoveryCamp, has another interesting perspective from her summer experience. The 24-year-old, who is of Sāmoan and Pālagi descent, grew up on the Kapiti Coast.

“In year 13, my chemistry teacher gave me the form to apply for the camp. I never thought I’d get it but I did – it was so exciting.” 

That summer, the programme focused on a two-week work experience stint. Tafili was paired with another student and worked at Callaghan Innovation in Gracefield, Lower Hutt. 

“We had to design a super conductor. We got to build it, and asked different people around the building – who did different things – and learnt lots. Being in that environment, it really felt like Disneyland for a kid who loved science.” 

Like Skipper, Tafili says the exposure to a variety of future career paths was a camp highlight and something that helped her decide what she wanted to do with her passion for science. 

“I think in high school, if you enjoy science, the main job or career that you hear about is being a doctor. You don’t really realise there’s so many other possibilities in science,” she says. “It was really valuable insight into what a job in science can look like after you complete your degree.” 

She went on to complete a degree in biomedical science at the University of Victoria, Wellington while continuing to work with youth – another one of her passions. When she finished her studies, Tafili says an opportunity in youth work in Whanganui resulted in an “unexpected turn”. 

“I had a cool opportunity to move to a new place and do a lot of community work. I live in Whanganui and work at an intermediate school. I still really love science and I still think about it, and I do think I’ll go back to it at some point.”

Lizzie Tafili, attended the 2014 DiscoveryCamp and the experience opened many doors (Photo: supplied)

At the moment, she is also studying for her diploma in youth work. She notes her science background continues to be relevant in her current job. 

“I think, with my science background, there’s perspectives that I bring to my youth work. And I love maths and science, so if there’s ever an opportunity, I gladly talk about maths and science and the opportunities they can bring and why that’s valuable.”

Renee Harris attended the most recent DiscoveryCamp. The 18-year-old is a first-year science student at the University of Otago. She grew up in Dunedin and has Fijian and Pākehā heritage.   

For Harris, DiscoveryCamp was a chance to explore her culture as she met other Pasifika students. 

“I didn’t have a lot of Pacific influence growing up. So this camp was good opportunity for me to embrace that side of my culture. I met some amazing people, and got to see where a science career could take you. It was so nice to see other like-minded students, especially Pasifika students,” she says. 

Harris wants all students interested in science to apply for the camp. She attended while completing the online portion of her summer school papers. 

“There was a bit of a juggling act, but I managed.” Currently, she is leaning towards majoring in genetics, possibly with a future career in genetic counselling or plant biotechnology. 

“But honestly, the opportunities are endless,” she says. 

“Anyone who is even remotely interested in science should definitely apply for this camp because you might find something that you never considered, and it can lead to a really fulfilling career.” 


If you or someone you know is in year 12 or 13 and has a passion for science, they can apply for the 2021 DiscoveryCamp here. All flights, accommodation and activities are paid.

This content was created in paid partnership with the MacDiarmid Institute. Learn more about our partnerships here.

Keep going!
The state of disaster status will give Victorian police added enforcement powers. (Photo: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
The state of disaster status will give Victorian police added enforcement powers. (Photo: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

ScienceAugust 2, 2020

‘State of disaster’ declared in Melbourne. What will the new lockdown look like – and how did it come to this?

The state of disaster status will give Victorian police added enforcement powers. (Photo: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
The state of disaster status will give Victorian police added enforcement powers. (Photo: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

As the state of Victoria continues to record shocking new Covid-19 numbers – 671 cases today – a strict new stage 4 lockdown is being imposed. Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia, explains what that means.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that metropolitan Melbourne will move to “stage 4” restrictions from 6pm Sunday (8pm NZ time), as new cases of Covid-19 continue to rise. The state recorded another 671 cases and seven deaths on Sunday.

Andrews has declared a State of Disaster from 6pm on Sunday, imposing a nightly curfew on Melbourne and giving the government and police extra powers to enforce the new restrictions.

Meanwhile, regional Victoria (outside of Melbourne) will move to stage 3 restrictions from midnight on Wednesday. Mitchell Shire will remain at stage 3.

What are the new restrictions?

Under the new stage 4 restrictions, only one person in each household can do shopping once a day. Exercise can be undertaken once a day for one hour, and no more than two people can exercise together. Residents can’t travel more than five kilometres from their home for shopping or exercise.

During the curfew, the only permitted reasons for being outside will be to receive or give care, or to go to or from work. A fine of A$1,652 will apply for anyone breaching these restrictions, and police will have the power to arrest those breaking the curfew without good reason.



Andrews said there are “common sense” exemptions. People can travel more than 5km to see their intimate partner and for care giving.

All schools across the state will move to remote learning from Wednesday, with some exceptions, such as students with special needs and children of essential workers.

On Monday, Andrews will outline further restrictions on workplaces. He flagged three categories: workplaces such as supermarkets, grocers and bakeries will remain open; some workplaces will stay open but with restrictions; and others will shut down or work exclusively from home if possible.

How did we get here?

Andrews said the current restrictions were “not working fast enough”, and that continuing with the current settings would mean it takes until the end of the year to drive daily numbers down to a point at which restrictions could be eased.

This comes as no surprise to those of us working in public health. Several epidemiologists have argued that stage 3 restrictions were not severe enough. For example, it seemed crazy when stage 3 restrictions were imposed in early July that people were told they could travel for work or study if unable to do it from home. This left the door open for too many people to travel while potentially infected.

Andrews said that there are currently 760 “mystery” cases – that is, cases of community transmission for which the source of infection is unknown. This is tantamount to saying the disease is out of control.

A range of exacerbating factors have brought us to this point. They include:

Aged-care homes

Much of the current outbreak is occurring in aged-care homes across Victoria. The handling of the situation in aged-care homes has been abysmal. The deployment of AUSMAT teams to aged-care homes is very welcome, but has come far too late. Aged-care residents with any symptoms should be immediately transferred to a hospital or clinic, although admittedly this is is not easy for some patients.

The current bickering between the Victorian and federal governments about who is to blame for the high number of infections and deaths in aged-care homes is counterproductive. The damage has been done — let’s fix it.

Failures to self-isolate

One of the main reasons why the current restrictions have not worked is that many people who have tested positive have not followed quarantine instructions and were not home when they should have been. Some of these might have been absent for a genuine reason, but many were likely low-paid casual workers who either couldn’t afford not to work, people who did not understand what they were supposed to do, or those who simply did not care. On top of this, there has been confusion in the Victorian government messaging about what to do while waiting for test results.

Is the virus more contagious?

The current strain of SARS-CoV-2 circulating around the world is more contagious than the original form. But that in itself cannot explain why only Victoria is grappling with disaster, and not the whole of Australia. However, the fact the virus is more contagious does mean it can take better advantage of the lapses in Victoria.

Will stage 4 restrictions work?

They should do – they include many of the rules we have been calling for, such as a stricter definition of essential workers and workplaces. But there are yet more potentially useful measures, which are not necessarily very expensive.

In a previous article I said that if necessary, Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel could be used to deliver food and essential supplies to those at high risk, and help with logistics. They are trained in disaster relief, supply chain management and logistics. ADF staff are currently door-knocking people who have tested positive to check they are self-isolating. While there, why can’t they deliver 14 days’ supply of food and essential items to help people stay at home? They could also deliver supplies to vulnerable people stuck at home.

The ADF could also work with the major supermarket chains to ensure that they are well-stocked, and therefore help reduce the panic buying currently happening in Melbourne.

Finally, better messaging is required. The Victorian government is not getting through to enough people about why the restrictions are essential. For example, compared with other state health departments, Victoria’s Covid-19 page is very clinically oriented, and not particularly user-friendly.

How will we know the new restrictions are working?

There are several indicators that help us assess what is happening. The effective reproduction number, or Reff, is the average number of people each infected person themselves infect. It needs to be below one for the outbreak to die out.

However, at this stage of the outbreak, it can only be estimated by modelling, and is more of a long-term indicator. An alternative is the “growth factor”. This is simply the number of cases today, divided by the number yesterday. We would like to see the growth factor less than one, and unlike Reff, it is a short-term indicator.

Because daily cases can fluctuate for many reasons, we prefer to look at a moving average that smoothes out daily numbers and helps spot trends. With a 5-day median incubation period, a 5-day moving average should show up whether or not the new restrictions have worked.

Finally, we must see community transmission of unknown origin go down.


Adrian Esterman is professor of Biostatistics, University of South Australia. This article is supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.