Journal editor-in-chief Professor Frank Frizelle says the 139-year-old publication is “again at a crossroads”.
In an editorial published in today’s Journal, Frizelle said the PMAG was “no longer in a position to provide ongoing financial support” because of “financial pressures and competing organisational priorities”.
The New Zealand Medical Journal, now published digitally, is among the oldest continuously published medical journals in the Southern Hemisphere.
The issues, he said, were “not a reflection of any failure of the NZMJ or of PMAG’s stewardship” but highlighted the challenge of sustaining a national scholarly publication.
He said the Journal was “a national asset” whose fate should not rest with a single organisation.
Founded in 1887, the publication – now published digitally – is among the oldest continuously published medical journals in the Southern Hemisphere.
Frizelle wrote that through “world wars, pandemics, social change and healthcare reform”, it had chronicled New Zealand’s evolving health system.
New Zealand Medical Journal editor-in-chief Professor Frank Frizelle.
It had also served as a forum where clinicians, researchers, policymakers and public health leaders had debated issues affecting the country.
Frizelle said the PMAG deserved “enormous credit for ensuring the Journal’s survival at a time when its future was far from certain”.
PMAG president Dr Kiki Maoate said the association had invested heavily in the Journal’s formatting and technology platforms, while also making its content freely accessible.
It was a tough decision to end funding arrangements, but it was now time to advance a sustainable, longer-term funding model, through the likes of subscriptions and advertising.
The Journal cost about $400,000 a year to operate and sustain, he said.
“You need to find a way of return – we’ve had the ability to run it without the return on investment because we were doing all the other things.
“We’ve got to also look at it strategically. We’re heavy lifting for the country, and we shouldn’t be doing that.”
The cover of today’s New Zealand Medical Journal.
An interim funding arrangement is in place until December 31, with the medical schools at Auckland and Otago universities and a private donor providing financial support.
“While this arrangement provides breathing space, it is not a long-term solution,” Frizelle wrote in his editorial.
He suggested responsibility for the Journal’s future could now be shared across universities, professional colleges and other health-sector stakeholders, while maintaining its vital editorial independence.
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He also suggested that Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora could become part of a future ownership or governance structure. He noted that much of the journal’s published research came from the organisation’s clinicians and researchers.
The organisation “should have a strong interest in ensuring the continued existence of a high-quality national medical journal”.
He emphasised the importance of preserving editorial independence.
“The challenge facing the NZMJ is not one of relevance, quality or impact, but of governance and sustainability,” he wrote.
He said the journal’s credibility depended on its ability to publish research and commentary, regardless of whether it was supportive or critical of governments, healthcare organisations or professional bodies.
“Financial support must never be accompanied by editorial influence.”
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.