James Duncan (2) (1921–2001)

[excerpt from New Zealand Herald online obituary]
Professor James Duncan had a distinguished career in three countries. After graduating in chemistry at Oxford University he became involved in Britain's atomic research in the late 1940s. He was later appointed a senior lecturer in chemistry at the University of Melbourne before joining Victoria University in Wellington in 1962 as professor in inorganic and theoretical chemistry.

For nearly 20 years he was head of New Zealand's "future" organisations, first the Commission for the Future and then the Futures Trust. Professor Duncan was the mastermind behind the Commission for the Future, which acted as the National Party's policy planning unit in the mid-70s until it fell foul of then Prime Minister Rob Muldoon after members of the unit began speaking out on political matters. He was also the mover and shaker behind New Zealand's science fairs, introducing the idea from Australia.

His work was recognised formally in 1968 when he was awarded the Dwyer Medal for achievements in chemistry and the Marsden Medal for services to science. He was made an OBE in 1972.