Sir Paul Callaghan’s passing marks a very sad moment not only for New Zealanders now, but also for future generations. An outstanding New Zealander who made his mark as a world-leading scientist specialising in nanotechnology and magnetic resonance.
He was knighted in 2009, and received honours almost too numerous to mention through his career. These include several prestigious European awards, academic recognition from both Oxford and Cambridge Universities, the Rutherford Medal, a fellowship to the Royal Society of London, a Prime Minister’s Science Prize, and the New Zealander of the Year award in 2011.
Sir Paul became a Pure Advantage Trustee in August 2011 and we would like to acknowledge his contribution to the Pure Advantage campaign, as well as celebrate his passion and commitment to advancing New Zealand’s knowledge economy (particularly the role of science and technology ) as a driver of our future prosperity. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues at this time. As the Hon Bill English stated, “(Sir Paul Callaghan’s) knowledge and willingness to teach others was an inspiration to not only the science community, but New Zealand as a whole. He brought a unique combination of brilliance, integrity and courage to public debate.”
“The mission statement for NZ has got to be ‘a country where talent wants to live’ and that is about looking after our pristine environment as much as anything. We want 40 billion a year sustainabily and for the future and in a way that doesn’t damage all that is important to this country and why we love it.”
– Sir Paul Callaghan
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