New Zealand's top science honour, the Rutherford Medal, has been awarded to anthropologist and author Dame Anne Salmond.
The award was one of 10 given out by the Royal Society of New Zealand at a ceremony in Dunedin on Wednesday night and the first time in 22 years that the top medal has gone to a social scientist.
Dame Anne Salmond. Photo: SUPPLIED
Dame Anne, who works at Auckland University, won the medal for her research into Maori social structures and early interactions with the European world.
Of the 10 honours, eight went to men and all are university researchers.
The Pickering Medal was awarded to Sir Harold Marshall for his work improving the acoustics of concert halls world-wide and University of Otago Professor Richard Blaikie for ground-breaking work with light in the field of nano-optics.
The Callaghan Medal went to Dr Siouxsie Wiles of Auckland University for raising public awareness of the value of medical science.
The Thomson Medal for the management and application of research was awarded to Dr Peter Lee of the University of Auckland's commercialising arm, Auckland Uniservices Ltd.
The MacDiarmid Medal went to Professor Neil Broom, at the University of Auckland, for research leading to better understanding of human heart valves and joint and spinal tissues.
The Hutton Medal for plant science was awarded to Professor Dave Kelly, from Canterbury University, for developing knowledge of native flora in New Zealand and defining the key interactions between plants and animals.
The Mason Durie Medal for advancing the frontiers of social science was awarded to Victoria University criminologist Professor John Pratt.
The R.J. Scott Medal for engineering sciences and technologies was awarded to Canterbury University Professor Andrew Buchanan for his world-leading work in developing design techniques for large-scale timber buildings and designing for fire safety.
The T.K. Sidey Medal for outstanding scientific research in the field of electromagnetic radiation was awarded to Otago University Professor Jim McQuillan.
The Health Research Council of New Zealand awarded the Liley Medal to Professor Michael Baker from the University of Otago for public health studies into serious infectious diseases and rising inequalities.
Royal Society president David Skegg said the awards night shows New Zealand culture no longer has its old hostile attitude to intellectual achievements.
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