13th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference 5-8 May 2014, Salvador, Brazil Panel Paper: The emergence of science communication in New Zealand Jean S Fleming The Centre for Science Communication The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand jean.fleming@otago.ac.nz New Zealand (NZ) is a long, narrow country, with a current population of 4.5 million people, situated at the “bottom of the world”. Its relative isolation and rugged geography has ensured a culture of exploration, discovery and communication. Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, have always had a deep knowledge of the world around them, from astronomy to agriculture. They recognise several star patterns, as well as the planets. They know the yearly star cycle and relate this to seasonal activities such as the planting and harvesting of crops. The oral traditions of Māori include many stories aimed to help people grow and store food and sustainably maintain the land and its inhabitants [1-5]. Captain James Cook visited New Zealand in 1769 in the barque Endeavour, having observed the transit of Venus in Tahiti. In November of that year, Cook and astronomer Charles Green undertook the first astronomical observations on New Zealand soil, when they viewed the transit of Mercury from a beach, now named Mercury Bay, on the Coromandel Peninsula [6, 7]. On subsequent visits to Aotearoa New Zealand, in 1773–74 and 1777, Cook and his astronomers made extensive observations, determining latitude and longitude from Dusky Sound in Fiordland and Ship Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound. Naturalist Joseph Banks travelled with Cook on the Endeavour during its 1768– 71 voyage, along with botanist, Daniel Solander, and three draughtsmen or artists to record the natural history of the places they visited. The collections of plants they brought back to England established modern New Zealand botany [8, 9]. The first colonial