The New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute (NZARI) was established in 2012 as a charitable trust to fund critical research to better understand and predict how Antarctica will respond to environmental change. NZARI partnered with research agencies and built world-leading research teams to strengthen New Zealand’s Antarctic research capability.
The NZARI Board considered the future of NZARI and its role in the New Zealand science system, and decided to wind down NZARI on the 30 June 2021, with remaining funds to be disbursed for Early Career Seed Grants.
NZARI was formed to deliver key Antarctic research outcomes in a limited and unstable contestable government funding environment. In large-part catalysed by NZARI’s activities, the government created the Antarctic Science Platform, supported through the Strategic Science Investment Fund (SSIF). As such, there is now duplication in governance and management across Antarctica New Zealand, NZARI, the Antarctic Science Platform and other research programmes and providers in New Zealand.
We thank former NZARI Directors Gary Wilson and Craig Cary, and former Deputy Director Vonda Cummings, as well as you - the Antarctic science community - for supporting the mission of NZARI.