Book Launch: Front Row Seat by Juliet A. Gerrard

Join us and Auckland University Press for the launch of Front Row Seat: How Science Can (and Can't) Shape Public Decision-Making by Dame Juliet Gerrard.

As Chief Science Advisor to three Prime Ministers, Dame Juliet Gerrard provided science advice on a broad range of topics, including plastics, cannabis, AI in healthcare, and food waste. Over a tumultuous six years in this role, she also had a front row seat during three emergencies – the Christchurch Mosque shooting, the Whakaari | White Island volcanic eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Anneliese Parkin will be launching the book: As Deputy Chief Executive, Policy at DPMC since 2015, Dr Parkin led the Policy Advisory Group (PAG), serving four Prime Ministers, and advising on and coordinating the Government’s policy agenda.

About the book:
Responding to the terrorist attack on a Christchurch mosque and a global pandemic, the volcanic eruption at Whakaari/White Island and the occupation of Parliament grounds, for six years Dame Juliet Gerrard stood next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her successors to provide the insights that science might bring to decisions on issues of public importance.

Sometimes these were emergencies: How fast will Covid spread? How many people are likely to die under different policies? Will the mosque terrorist produce copycats? And sometimes they were longer-term issues: What does the science say about cannabis? Should we worry about 5G or genetic engineering? Will it be easy or hard to get rid of plastic bags? Through case studies like these, Gerrard reflects on the realities of providing evidence to inform policy in the political arena - unpacking the tensions and drawing out general principles.

For anyone interested in evidence and public policy, Front Row Seat is a readable insider account of how science can (and can't) help us solve big public issues.

All welcome, see you there!