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From the recent fourth Edward Goldsmith Memorial Lecture at Victoria University of Wellington: Health Check Time for NZ's land and water use, Alison Dewes, One Health Professionals, Cambridge:



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Examining the mechanistic world view: “In investigating the roots of our current environmental dilemma and its connections to science, technology and the economy, we must re-examine the formation of a world-view and a science which, by reconceptualising reality as a machine, rather than a living organism, sanctioned the domination of both nature and women. The contributions of such founding ‘fathers’ of modern science as Francis Bacon, William Harvey, Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes and Isaac Newton must be re-evaluated.” — Carolyn Merchant

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Pacific Institute of Resource Management (PIRM) was founded in 1984, by Wellington architect George Porter. PIRM is an organisation dedicated to sustainable use of the earth’s resources. PIRM is concerned about the deterioration of global ecosystems, the rapid depletion of natural resources and degradation of the environment, examples being climate change, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, pollution of water systems and natural habitats. Our objectives are to advocate respect for natural processes; conservation of physical resources and integrity of all life forms. We contribute to the establishment of New Zealand as a strong, independent authority promoting a world conservation strategy. PIRM works for the improvement of human communities worldwide living in harmony with the natural world.

PIRM organises public forums and makes submissions to the New Zealand government on environmental and social issues, and publishes Pacific Ecologist (formerly Pacific World).

Pacific Ecologist is one of a family of Ecologist journals now published around the world in France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, India and Italy – as well as of course the original in the U.K. – The Ecologist.

PIRM is not politically aligned and is funded by members and supporters. We are a voluntary organisation with charitable trust status. It is run by an executive committee elected from its membership each year at the AGM, normally held in October. The current committee is listed below:

Peter Barrett (convener) studies climate in the geological past at Victoria University of Wellington, working in the Antarctic Research Centre, where he was director until 2007. His long-standing research interest has been Antarctic and global climate history over the last 40 million years or so – results from the warmer past provide a guide for ice sheet and climate response to future warming.

Barbara Strathdee (secretary) is an artist and fiction author with an interest in ecology. Barbara recently travelled to Trieste to receive a prize for her latest book, Cafe Wars, which is set in Italy.

Peter Gilberd is a scientist with a particular interest in physics. He works at the Royal Society of New Zealand on the administration of the Marsden Fund. In his spare time, he is one of the gumboot brigade, planting native trees with his reforestation group, Woodridge Planters.

Cliff Mason (committee member) is a pathologist with a long standing interest in public health and environmental issues.

Kay Weir is editor of Pacific Ecologist. She once sang with the NZ Opera Company and, having trained as a subeditor with the former Evening Post, became a volunteer assistant to PIRM’s founder George Porter in 1994 for the publication of our former magazine, Pacific World. She became editor on his retirement in 1997. Kay’s work in developing the network of contributors and improving editorial standards attracted support from Edward Goldsmith, founding editor of The Ecologist (UK), and in 2002 Pacific World was replaced by Pacific Ecologist. Kay is the only full-time worker on PIRM’s voluntary committee.

Contact details

PIRM/Pacific Ecologist
Box 12125
Wellington
Aotearoa/New Zealand

Phone: +64 4 939 4553

Email: pirmeditor@paradise.net.nz