Philippa Stevenson: Mental gymnasts dwell in kudos-free isolation

According to my mailbag even ardent sports fans believe we've been remiss in supporting and celebrating the full range of New Zealanders' achievement by all but ignoring competitive academic success.

The comments I've received after bemoaning the lack of recognition for our biology, chemistry and maths Olympians have further highlighted our odd attitude towards academic pursuits.

It's a baffling stance in a country that wants to ensure economic survival by jumping aboard a "knowledge wave".

When I first questioned the lack of kudos accorded academic achievers, Auckland University mathematician Ivan Reilly responded with a tale that reflected the national conflict.

In 1986, Reilly was asked to chair the new NZ Mathematical Olympiad Committee (NZMOC).

"I declined on the grounds that what they proposed was elitist," the professor said.

However, he was prevailed upon to do his "duty" for just one year and, 19 years on, still holds the job.

"I saw very quickly that I had been wrong in my knee-jerk reaction. The activities organised by NZMOC filled a gap in NZ education - challenge for the brightest and most talented high school mathematics students."

In other words Reilly discovered that the Olympiads are to the brightest what the First XV or First XI are to the sportiest.

But the committee struggles as I suspect First XV coaches don't.

"We never know from one year to the next if we shall have, or be able to raise, sufficient funds to organise our activities and send a team representing New Zealand to the International Mathematical Olympiad. But we keep doing it, and next year will be the 20th anniversary of the establishment of our committee," Reilly said. "We must be crazy."

Or commended. The achievement record has been enviable. The six-member teams have come home with medals from 15 of the 18 annual Olympiads - 23 bronze, three silver and, in 2002, an historic gold for Simon Marshall of Onslow College.

One reader - a migrant - has puzzled over our lack of pride in academic achievers in the 10 years she's lived here.

"Unlike sports people, our intellectuals don't seem to have a big share in creating role models for the young generation. The continuous struggle of the universities and research institutes for funding casts a shadow on the future for our would-be scientists," she wrote.

"The sad fact is that as a nation we continue wasting the talent of our best young minds and give them free into the hands of overseas corporates and various institutes."

Mathematician Arkadii Slinko, also of Auckland University and the maths Olympiad team leader, also worries about the brain drain.

"These kids are our future leaders in science, in industry, in politics - if we can keep them in New Zealand," he said.

Maths teacher Alan Parris, president of the NZ Association of Maths Teachers and a NZMOC executive member, is optimistic that many of the academic achievers will return. And universities here do notice Olympiad success, he says. Three universities got into a bidding war over gold medal winner Simon Marshall who is now at Auckland University.

Parris, who spends most of his year fundraising when he'd much rather be developing maths programmes to inspire young minds, is more worried about keeping the longest-running Olympiad effort on track.

In 2001, a study funded by the Ministries of Education and Research, Science and Technology into the effectiveness of science and technology extension programmes such as Olympiads recommended that long-term and secure funding be provided for the Olympiad programmes.

But the stop-start funding that has plagued the NZMOC from the beginning continues.

"The goal posts keep shifting," laments Parris, who notes that other disciplines such as geography, physics and IT are also keen to set up Olympiad teams.

"We need a national programme - a new enterprise - that looks after our kids. Funding ebbs and flows now at the whim of politicians and ministries rather than the needs of the country."

More than one of my correspondents would like to hear the views of electioneering politicians on the issue.

I'm happy to field responses.