Through our strategy refresh process we have been questioning the place of Crown research institutes and, in particular, the role or purpose of Scion. This process will culminate in July with the presentation to Parliament of our Strategy to 2030 incorporating our Statement of Corporate Intent.

One important matter that was reinforced was the relevancy of our Statement of Core Purpose and the direction it gives Scion to drive innovation and growth in the forestry, wood and biomaterial manufacturing sectors, along with bioenergy, for the economic, social and environmental benefit of New Zealand.

This directive was formulated into a mission statement for Scion – “Enhancing New Zealand’s prosperity, well-being and environment through trees. Kia piki te ora, te taiao me te whai rawa o Aotearoa mā te ngāherehere.”

Once our Strategy to 2030 document has been published it will be time to challenge ourselves, the industry, partners and government on what will actually be needed to deliver on the opportunities identified. In this, Scion’s role must be one of enabling outcomes through research and development that is utilised by others to create the benefits we seek as a country. My belief is that this will identify gaps and barriers that we will collectively have to work on to truly deliver impact. For Scion to deliver on its core purpose then it must enable other businesses to act. A key aspect of this will be the funding of programmes of duration and nature,working with the right partners, through to the delivery of the desired impact not just getting the research completed.

As I stated in my last editorial, “We see truly legacy-creating opportunities through planting the right trees in the right places for the right purposes” as we all together unleash the power of forestry.

I welcome your thoughts on this topic and any other matters raised in the issue of Scion Connections.

Dr Julian Elder
Chief Executive

For further information contact
Dr Julian Elder