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The department was established in 1926, on the recommendation of a report by Sir Frank Heath, Director of the British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The functions of the department as stated in the Scientific and Industrial Research Act 1926 (17 Geo V, No. 28) were, the maintenance and administration of scientific services and laboratories in its charge and the provision of advice to the government on questions of policy relating to scientific matters.

In line with the Heath report, the Dominion Laboratory, Geological Survey, Meteorological Office, Hector Observatory, Magnetic Survey and the Samoan Observatory were transferred to the new department, with the Act bestowing the power to create further facilities. By 1928 the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research [DSIR] had established research associations for dairy, wheat, leather, wool, flax and coal. Other research associations, such as tobacco, hops and ceramicsm, were added later. From 1945 some of the associations became autonomous, but the Head Office of the DSIR continued to maintain files documenting their interrelationships. The Wheat, Tobacco, and Hop Research Associations although administered by the DSIR, were partly funded by industry.

The functions of the department, under the Scientific and Industrial Research Act 1974 were:

· To recommend and implement policies and priorities for the application of science and technology in New Zealand.
· To develop strategies for implementing approved policies including the efficient use of the manpower and financial resources allocated for such purposes.
· To create an organisational environment conducive to the conduct of scientific work.
· To co-ordinate and control the scientific and administrative aspects of the department's operations and ensure compliance with statutory regulations and the instructions of controlling authorities.
· To ensure that the results of the department's activities are effectively transferred to local and overseas organisations, particularly to those who can apply them to the economic development of New Zealand.

In 1989 the DSIR was made up of twenty-two divisions and a number of service units. In 1990, these divisions and units were restructured into ten divisions made up of related or common functions. The two tables below illustrate the changes in the DSIR during the late 1980s:

DSIR Organisational Structure (1989)

DSIR Headquarters Organisational Structure (1991):

DSIR Divisional Structure (1991):

In July 1992, the science research departments of the DSIR, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Meteorological Service and the Forest Research Institute were restructured. As a result of this restructuring, ten Crown Research Institutes (CRI) were created. The ten divisions of the DSIR were absorbed into the CRIs as follows:

· DSIR Crop Research (ABLZ) went to the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Research Ltd (CAXI).
· DSIR Fruit & Trees (ABMA) was divided between Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd (ABLS) and the Horticulture & Food Research Institute of New Zealand (ABLW).
· DSIR Grasslands (ABMC) was transferred to the New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute (ABLU).
· DSIR Land Resources (ABME) was divided between Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd (ABLS) and the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences ltd (ABLP).
· DSIR Chemistry (ABFV) functions were divided between the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd (ABLP), Industrial Research Ltd (ABLR) and the Institute of Environmental Health and Forensic Sciences Ltd (ABLQ).
· DSIR Industrial Development (ABMD) was transferred to the CRI of Industrial Research Ltd (ABLR).
· DSIR Geology and Geophysics (ABMB) was transferred to the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences (ABLP).
· DSIR Plant Protection (ABMS) was divided between four CRIs: the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Ltd (CAXI), Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd (ABLS), New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Institute Ltd (ABLU), and the Horticulture & Food Research Institute of New Zealand (ABLW).
· DSIR Physical Science functions were transferred to six CRIs: the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (ABLO), Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd (ABLS), the Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Ltd (ABLP), the New Zealand Institute for Crop & Food Ltd (CAXI), the Horticulture & Food Institute of New Zealand Ltd (ABLW) and Industrial Research Ltd (ABLR).
· DSIR Marine & Freshwater (ABJM) was transferred to the Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd (ABLO).
· DSIR Social Science (ABNR) (a specialist unit) was transferred to the Institute of Social Research and Development (ABLX).
· DSIR Antarctic (a specialist unit) was transferred to the Ministry of External Relations and Trade on July 1st 1992.

Biological Resources Centre 1981-1987

The origins of the Biological Resources Centre [BRC] lay in the debates of the 1970s over the destruction of the West Coast forests. At that time the Forest Service initiated the mapping of different ecological districts, coming up with nine, and proposed reserves in each. By 1979 the Commission for the Environment was urging the extension of this concept, and this led to the establishment of the BRC in 1981 [1].

In 1985 Geoff Park, the first manager of the BRC, outlined the primary functions of the organisation and assessed its significance: "[the goal of the Biological Resource Centre was] ... to pilot a system for gathering and disseminating biological information and evaluating natural ecological diversity. This work ... significantly increased our ability in New Zealand to determine which areas require[d] conservation or protection management, and their order of importance. The work has application to environmental planning in general, and the formation of a nation-wide nature conservation strategy in particular. The main objective of this work has been to inject ecological concepts into land use planning and in this the BRC can be regarded as a scientific research unit working to serve the environmental information needs of people in the regions."[2]

The BRC operated under the umbrella of the DSIR, with the National Research and Advisory Council having some input into approving staff and facilitating budget size.

Overseeing the functions of the BRC was the Advisory Committee. In 1985 the Advisory Committee was made up of individuals from the Fisheries Research Division (MAF), Water and Soil Directorate (MWD), New Zealand Forest Service, Auckland Regional Authority, Art Gallery and Museums Association of New Zealand, and DSIR Entomology and Botany divisions.

In April 1987 the Biological Resources Centre came under the control of the Department of Conservation. In April 1988 it was disestablished.

Coal Survey/Research Committee

In November 1935 the Labour government was elected. "The government moved first to assist the coal industry, both as an important industry in its own right, and also as the basis of industrial development in many other fields. The survey of coal resources was overseen by a new Coal Survey Committee drawn from the Geological Survey and the Dominion Laboratory of DSIR" [3].  The purpose of the survey was to obtain complete information on coal reserves, and estimated suitability of the coals for industrial use, oil production and gas making.

The Coal Survey Committee was actually based in the coal survey division in the Dominion Laboratory, although a few people from other departments joined in the Committee. From the records it can be found these two names were used alternatively. The coal section of the Dominion Laboratory was the headquarters for all analytical work on fuel.

In 1948 the Coal Research Committee came into being. It had three sub-committees; coal survey, coal utilization and safety in mines. From 1948, records were issued in the name of the Coal Research Committee.

Footnotes:

[1]  AJHR VI (G21), 1982, p.38.

[2] G.N.Park & A.B.Mathews, 'Summary Outline. Statement from the Biological Resources Centre on the Report of the Post-Environmental forum Working Party, June 1985', Archives New Zealand Head Office, AAHZ 7860 W5134/2, Advisory Committee - Biological Resources Centre 1985.

[3] p180-181, DSIR, Ross Galbreath, Victoria University Press, 1998, Wellington.

Responsible Minister:

Minister in Charge of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research 1926-1990

Minister of Science and Technology 1990-1992

Records:

The functional branches of the department maintained their own systems of scientific and some administrative records. The Head Office system incorporated administrative records for the whole department, and was a centralised repository for papers of the various research associations and committees administered or contributed to by the department. Some files contain scientific reports, especially of scientists from all divisions made on return from overseas assignments.

The Head Office central system does not include staff records which were maintained by the Personnel section as a separate series within the Head Office registry. The original system consisted of multiple number subject files, but in 1980, this was changed to an alpha-numeric system. Many files were top-numbered into the new system, but in some cases the volume was closed, cross-referenced, and a new volume opened. The registry had an efficient computer programme in operation for file indexing, opening, retrieval, and census.

Subordinate relationships:

The list of unregistered subordinate agencies are the divisions that existed prior to the internal restructuring that occurred in 1990. The 10 divisions with agency codes are those that existed between 1990-1992.