NZ has no brain drain

NZSPA Reporter

New Zealand was not suffering from the effects of a "brain drain" but was reaping the benefits of training given to students elsewhere, Professor G. A. Knox of the University of Canterbury's Zoology Department has said.

He was answering comments made by the Minister of Finance (Mr. Muldoon) during the Budget address.

Mr. Muldoon had said he was concerned with the fact that in certain fields a high proportion of graduates "proceed overseas to give themselves wider opportunities and some other country the benefit of their training."

Professor Knox pointed out that of the University of Canterbury's 262 staff members 97 were of non-New Zealand origin, having been trained overseas. In addition, 52 staff of New Zealand origin had taken post graduate courses overseas, mostly at Ph D level.

"We well know that the cost of maintaining a student at this level is many times that of an undergraduate." he said. "It thus appears that New Zealand is here very much on the receiving end and reaping the benefits of training financed elsewhere."

An analysis of staff in other universities and Government research units would reveal a similar picture. In a recently published report by the National Research Advisory Council the conclusion was reached that on the whole the export of brains from New Zealand was balanced by imports.

Professor Knox said that if might well be that we lost some of the people we can il afford to lose. If the Minister was concerned about this he might take a positive step by increasing rewards in the form of salaries, and providing some adequate facilities for research scientists.

It must be realised that in the academic and research fields we are competing on an international market, he said