Wendy Newport-Smith celebrates Churchill Fellowship study

Manager of the NZ Food Safety Science & Research Centre, Wendy Newport-Smith, finally got to mark the completion of her Churchill Fellowship.  It is five years since she embarked upon her chosen research study – just scraping in, had she known then, before the pandemic curtailed overseas travel. On 12 June, recipients gathered at Parliament to be formally recognised by Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro.  

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowships “help New Zealanders from all walks of life to travel overseas to expand their knowledge on topics of significance in Aotearoa New Zealand…”

Wendy’s six-week Fellowship study looked at ‘best practice’ governance of virtual scientific networks like the Centre.  Her whirlwind, mid-winter survey spanned the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Scotland, Canada and the United States.  It included a visit to Wageningen University (Wageningen, Netherlands), which is a food science hub and has a relationship with Massey University.

As well as learning about and comparing different funding mechanisms and research management practices, Wendy says she found that the organisations she visited had much in common with the Centre, and that there is a lot of respect for New Zealand science generally.  The learning and networking were mutual.  Her report is available here.  Wendy is currently completing her PhD thesis on the interconnection between food safety culture and ethical leadership.