The NZ Statistical Association, founded in 1948, is New Zealand’s only association for professional statisticians. The association has over 400 individual members and is growing strongly. Many of its members are employed by universities, government departments, or research institutes, with growing participation by senior students, who are offered free membership for their first year. The constitutional aims and objectives of the association are the encouragement of theoretical and applied statistics in New Zealand. In 1992 the association agreed on a more comprehensive set of vision and mission statements including the short description:
The mission of the NZSA is to lead New Zealand to value and make intelligent use of statistical thinking and good statistical practice.
Services to Members
Members receive the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Statistics quarterly, and the NZSA Newsletter, which provides news of statistical happenings within New Zealand and interesting overseas developments.
A feature of the New Zealand statistical year is the annual three-day conference, normally held in mid-year. In addition to invited and contributed papers on a wide range of topics, there are often special sessions with panel discussion on topics of current concern to the profession.
Professional Standards
At the 1995 annual conference the association adopted a ‘Code of Ethics’. Particular attention was paid to the positions adopted by kindred organisations in Australia, UK, and USA on the question of formal accreditation of statisticians. No immediate action will be taken on a formal accreditation scheme but work is continuing on the preparation of guidelines of good practice.
Links with other Bodies
The association is an affiliated organisation of the International Statistical Institute and maintains close relations with a number of statistical societies around the world. It is also a member body of the Royal Society of New Zealand and is part of the Mathematical Sciences Council of New Zealand.
Cooperation with related societies sometimes leads to joint conferences such as the International Biometric Conference (IBC) held in Hamilton at the end of 1992 and the joint conference with the Australasian Region of the Biometric Society (Christchurch, 2001). Our 2006 conference was held in Auckland conjointly with the Statistical Society of Australia.