It is with great pleasure the Association honours Brian Silverstone with the award of Life Membership of the NZ Association of Economists. Brian, a graduate of both the University of Otago and the University of Waikato is an active member of the Association who has taught macroeconomics and engaged in research at Waikato for nearly 40 years. He has made valuable research contributions including publications pertaining to Okun’s law, capacity utilisation and employment. In making this award we wish to honour Brian for his service to the profession and the Association in particular. Brian has made numerous high quality contributions over a long period.

Brian has:

1. Provided numerous acts of high quality service to the Association. He has organised Workshops for the Association such as the 1981 NZAE Workshop on Fiscal Performance in Dunedin, He has refereed numerous journal articles for New Zealand Economic Papers, and he has served as Convener and/or member of judging panels for NZAE Young Economists Essay Competition (1983), NZAE Best Presented Student Conference Paper (1992-95), NZAE Maori Scholarship in Economics (1995) and NZIER/Qantas Prize in Economics 1994-95.

2. Organised and facilitated numerous conferences of the Association. He was convener or co-convener of six NZAE Annual conferences held at Waikato University in 1971, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1992 (jointly).

3. Provided service and leadership to the Association by serving as Council Member (1980-83 and 1990-95), Vice President (1991-93) and President, (1994 and 1995).

4. Served as Assistant Editor (1979) and subsequently Editor (1980-83, inclusive) of New Zealand Economic Papers.

Brian has been a model and mentor to many NZ economists and has facilitated the involvement of Association members in a set of important projects. Examples include his joint editorship with Alan Bollard and Ralph Lattimore of A Study of Economic Reform: The Case of New Zealand Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1996, 518pp., and organisation on behalf of the New Zealand Association of Economists the Festschrift in 1972 (with Allan Catt) in honour of Professor A.W.H. Phillips. This included presenting the essays to Professor Phillips on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, 18 November 1974.

The Association honours Brian for his economic citizenship and has pleasure in awarding him life membership of the Association.