It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of one of our consultants, Barry Smith.
Of Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu descent, Barry was an extraordinary man. A true kaumatua, his wit and wisdom on matters of indigenous health and indigenous research ethics is irreplaceable.
Showcasing the best of the leadership through humility, Barry was relied upon by committees to bring an appreciation of Maori – and research ethics more generally – to their work. More than that, because of his diplomacy and humanity he became the kamatua of the process that bought Māori ideas and ways of knowing to the research ethics sector in New Zealand. Just a small list of his appointments is indicative of the status accorded to him senior scientists, ethicists, and government officials and ministers; he was or had been a member (and often a chair) on all the national bodies that set ethical standards and/or reviewed the ethics of research in New Zealand.
– Chair, Royal Society of New Zealand Maori Reference Group on indigenous matters to the Society’s project on gene editing
– Chair, Ministry of Social Development Ethics Committee
– Chair, the Lakes DHB Research and Ethics Committee
– Former Chair, Ethics Committee of the Health Research Council
– Former Chair, multiregional health and disability ethics committee
– Member, Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART)
– Member, Auckland Regional Tissue Bank Governance Advisory Board
– Member, Health and Quality Safety Commission’s (HQSC) Perioperative Mortality Review Committee (POMRC)
– Member, committee re-writing New Zealand’s National Ethics Guidelines.
– Member, Marsden Fund project led by Tim Dare examining the ethics of predictive analytics.
| Tena koe Barry | Greetings Barry |
| kua wheturangitia Koe | You who have been adorned as stars |
| ki te korowai o Ranginuia | in the heavens |
| kua wehe atu Koe ki te po | You who have departed to the night |
| Ki tua o Te Arai | To beyond |
| Ki te okioking | To the resting place |
| o o tatou tupuna | Of our ancestors |
| Haere, haere, haere. | Farewell, farewell, farewell |