Managing the assessment process | Health Research Council of New Zealand
Source: https://www.hrc.govt.nz/what-we-do/managing-assessment-process
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:31
Managing the assessment process | Health Research Council of New Zealand
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What we do
Managing the assessment process
Managing the assessment process
The Health Research Council identifies and funds research with the potential to significantly improve health and wellbeing, bringing maximum benefit and value to the New Zealand population.
We receive 700 - 800 applications for research funding each year, and invest in 250 - 300 contracts across all grant types, allocating approximately $120 million a year
.
The significant process of assessing these applications – and narrowing them down to those of potentially highest benefit – is managed by the HRC Investment Processes team.
We run a fair, transparent and robust peer-review process that meets international standards of best practice. This involves a number of committees, including science assessing committees (which may be multi-disciplinary or comprised of expertise in particular research fields) and engages hundreds of national and international reviewers a year. This helps ensure we fund research of high quality, led by researchers with the capability to deliver.
The research we fund must also meet ethical approval from an ethics committee accredited by the HRC Ethics Committee, before commencing. Find out more in
monitoring ethics and safety
.
More about our statutory and advisory committees
Biomedical Research Committee
The Biomedical Research Committee is a statutory HRC committee set out in the
HRC Act
, with members appointed by the HRC Council. The committee advises on biomedical research funding that's offered through a range of HRC grant types, such as Project and Programme grants and Career Development Awards.
Biomedical Research Committee members are responsible for chairing Science Assessing Committees (SACs). These committees score research applications and produce a ranked list of fundable proposals for assisting funding recommendations to the HRC Council.
The Biomedical Research Committee also monitors and reports on grantees' performance.
The functions of the Biomedical Research Committee are governed by Sections 13, 14, 17, 18 and 19 of the Health Research Council Act 1990, and the criteria for membership is set out in Section 20.
Click here for the committee's Terms of Reference.
Committee members:
Dr Nicole Edwards
, School of Biological Science, the University of Auckland
Professor Michelle Glass
, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin
Professor Andrew Hill
, Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau, Auckland
Dr Joanna Hikaka
,
Te Kupenga Hauora Māori
, University of Auckland
Professor Greg Jones
, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin
Associate Professor Melane McConnell
, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Natalie Netzler
, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, The University of Auckland
Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu
, The Dean’s Department, University of Otago, Wellington
Professor Julian Paton
, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, the University of Auckland
Professor Lisa Stamp
, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch
Committee Secretary:
Dr Katie Palastanga
- Portfolio Lead
Public Health Research Committee
The Public Health Research Committee is a statutory HRC committee set out in the
HRC Act
, with members appointed by the HRC Council. The committee advises on public health research funding that's offered through a range of HRC grant types, such as Project and Programme grants and Career Development Awards.
Public Health Research Committee members are responsible for chairing Science Assessing Committees (SACs) which score applications and produce a ranked list of fundable proposals for assisting funding recommendations to the HRC Council.
The Public Health Research Committee also monitors and reports on grantees' performance.
The functions of the Public Health Research Committee are governed by Sections 16 to 19 of the Health Research Council Act 1990, and the criteria for membership is set out in Section 20.
Click here for the committee's Terms of Reference
.
Committee members:
Professor Jeroen Douwes - Chair
, Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University, Wellington
Associate Professor Polly Atatoa Carr
, National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato
Professor Jason Gurney
, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington
Professor Janet Hoek
, Department of Public Health, University of Otago
Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu
, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland
Dr Kirsten Smiler
, Health Services Research Centre, School of Health, Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington
Professor El-Shadan Tautolo
, School of Public Health, AUT University (co-opted)
Professor Rachael Taylor
, Department of Medicine, University of Otago
Committee Secretary:
Dr Katie Palastanga
, Portfolio Lead
Māori Health Committee
The Māori Health Committee is a statutory committee of the HRC and is responsible for advising Council on health research for Māori, including cultural issues relating to the gathering, verification, and validation of information. It held its first meeting on 14 February 1991, which was chaired by the late Professor Eru Pomare (Te Atiawa, Ngati Toa, Ngati Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Rongowhakaata), the founding Chair of the MHC.
Peer review is undertaken each year by appointing Māori health assessing committees with expertise specific to the applications within a given funding round. The Māori health assessing committees are chaired by a Māori Health Committee member with other members recruited from qualified Māori researchers.
See our
Māori Health section
for committee membership and Terms of Reference.
Pacific Health Research Committee
The Pacific Health Research Committee provides the HRC with advice about Pacific health research priorities and Pacific health research workforce development. It is a standing committee founded by the HRC in recognition of the need to have high-level expertise in managing Pacific health research investment.
There is also a Pacific Assessing Committee that assesses the Pacific Career Development Awards and Pacific Project applications, and makes recommendations to the HRC Council about which applications to support.
See our
Pacific Health section
for committee membership and Terms of Reference.
Ethics Committee
It is the responsibility of the Health Research Council Ethics Committee to ensure that independent ethical assessment of any proposed research submitted to the HRC has been carried out by an ethics committee approved by the HRC Ethics Committee.
See our
Monitoring ethics and safety
section for committee membership and Terms of Reference.
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Health Research Council of New Zealand
Open main menu
Close main menu
Home
What we do
Managing the assessment process
Managing the assessment process
The Health Research Council identifies and funds research with the potential to significantly improve health and wellbeing, bringing maximum benefit and value to the New Zealand population.
We receive 700 - 800 applications for research funding each year, and invest in 250 - 300 contracts across all grant types, allocating approximately $120 million a year
.
The significant process of assessing these applications – and narrowing them down to those of potentially highest benefit – is managed by the HRC Investment Processes team.
We run a fair, transparent and robust peer-review process that meets international standards of best practice. This involves a number of committees, including science assessing committees (which may be multi-disciplinary or comprised of expertise in particular research fields) and engages hundreds of national and international reviewers a year. This helps ensure we fund research of high quality, led by researchers with the capability to deliver.
The research we fund must also meet ethical approval from an ethics committee accredited by the HRC Ethics Committee, before commencing. Find out more in
monitoring ethics and safety
.
More about our statutory and advisory committees
Biomedical Research Committee
The Biomedical Research Committee is a statutory HRC committee set out in the
HRC Act
, with members appointed by the HRC Council. The committee advises on biomedical research funding that's offered through a range of HRC grant types, such as Project and Programme grants and Career Development Awards.
Biomedical Research Committee members are responsible for chairing Science Assessing Committees (SACs). These committees score research applications and produce a ranked list of fundable proposals for assisting funding recommendations to the HRC Council.
The Biomedical Research Committee also monitors and reports on grantees' performance.
The functions of the Biomedical Research Committee are governed by Sections 13, 14, 17, 18 and 19 of the Health Research Council Act 1990, and the criteria for membership is set out in Section 20.
Click here for the committee's Terms of Reference.
Committee members:
Dr Nicole Edwards
, School of Biological Science, the University of Auckland
Professor Michelle Glass
, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin
Professor Andrew Hill
, Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau, Auckland
Dr Joanna Hikaka
,
Te Kupenga Hauora Māori
, University of Auckland
Professor Greg Jones
, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin
Associate Professor Melane McConnell
, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Natalie Netzler
, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, The University of Auckland
Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu
, The Dean’s Department, University of Otago, Wellington
Professor Julian Paton
, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, the University of Auckland
Professor Lisa Stamp
, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch
Committee Secretary:
Dr Katie Palastanga
- Portfolio Lead
Public Health Research Committee
The Public Health Research Committee is a statutory HRC committee set out in the
HRC Act
, with members appointed by the HRC Council. The committee advises on public health research funding that's offered through a range of HRC grant types, such as Project and Programme grants and Career Development Awards.
Public Health Research Committee members are responsible for chairing Science Assessing Committees (SACs) which score applications and produce a ranked list of fundable proposals for assisting funding recommendations to the HRC Council.
The Public Health Research Committee also monitors and reports on grantees' performance.
The functions of the Public Health Research Committee are governed by Sections 16 to 19 of the Health Research Council Act 1990, and the criteria for membership is set out in Section 20.
Click here for the committee's Terms of Reference
.
Committee members:
Professor Jeroen Douwes - Chair
, Research Centre for Hauora and Health, Massey University, Wellington
Associate Professor Polly Atatoa Carr
, National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis, University of Waikato
Professor Jason Gurney
, Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington
Professor Janet Hoek
, Department of Public Health, University of Otago
Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu
, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland
Dr Kirsten Smiler
, Health Services Research Centre, School of Health, Faculty of Health, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington
Professor El-Shadan Tautolo
, School of Public Health, AUT University (co-opted)
Professor Rachael Taylor
, Department of Medicine, University of Otago
Committee Secretary:
Dr Katie Palastanga
, Portfolio Lead
Māori Health Committee
The Māori Health Committee is a statutory committee of the HRC and is responsible for advising Council on health research for Māori, including cultural issues relating to the gathering, verification, and validation of information. It held its first meeting on 14 February 1991, which was chaired by the late Professor Eru Pomare (Te Atiawa, Ngati Toa, Ngati Kahungunu, Rongomaiwahine, Rongowhakaata), the founding Chair of the MHC.
Peer review is undertaken each year by appointing Māori health assessing committees with expertise specific to the applications within a given funding round. The Māori health assessing committees are chaired by a Māori Health Committee member with other members recruited from qualified Māori researchers.
See our
Māori Health section
for committee membership and Terms of Reference.
Pacific Health Research Committee
The Pacific Health Research Committee provides the HRC with advice about Pacific health research priorities and Pacific health research workforce development. It is a standing committee founded by the HRC in recognition of the need to have high-level expertise in managing Pacific health research investment.
There is also a Pacific Assessing Committee that assesses the Pacific Career Development Awards and Pacific Project applications, and makes recommendations to the HRC Council about which applications to support.
See our
Pacific Health section
for committee membership and Terms of Reference.
Ethics Committee
It is the responsibility of the Health Research Council Ethics Committee to ensure that independent ethical assessment of any proposed research submitted to the HRC has been carried out by an ethics committee approved by the HRC Ethics Committee.
See our
Monitoring ethics and safety
section for committee membership and Terms of Reference.
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Back to top
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Follow the HRC on X
Print this page