The NZSA was fortunate to be able to host Professor C R Rao as the NZSA Visiting Lecturer for 2005. It is not often that we have the opportunity to host such a distinguished researcher, one who has had such a profound influence on theory and applications of statistics.

The catalyst for his visit was Simo Puntanen, University of Tampere, Finland, who, as a member of the International Organising Committee for the 14th International Workshop on Matrices and Statistics (IWMS 2005) held at Massey University, Albany campus in late March, extended an invitation to him to speak as a Keynote Speaker at the Workshop. This motivated us to put in place a package that would cover a month’s visit to New Zealand. Through sponsorship we were able to cover his entire visit. The NZSA covered travel throughout New Zealand, Nye John assisted with some international air travel and support associated with a one-day Workshop at Ruakura, local universities covered local expenses, and IWMS, through sponsorship, was able to cover his entire local and Workshop expenses. Massey University also appointed him as a Distinguished Visitor with public lectures at Palmerston North and Albany. Nokia, Finland, supported him as the Nokia Lecturer at IWMS, 2005.

CR and Mrs Rao with George Styan, Hans Joachim Werner
and Shayle Searle at the IWMS dinner.

For an 84 year old, the itinerary we put together was quite demanding. Following his arrival in Auckland on March 7, he gave a seminar on March 8 to the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, University of Auckland on “Statistics: The science, technology and art of creating new knowledge”. Accompanied by Mrs Rao he flew to Dunedin on Sunday March 13 and gave a seminar the next day on “Cross Examination of Data”. On Tuesday March 15 he spoke at the University of Canterbury on “Statistics: The science, technology and art of creating new knowledge”. The next day he flew to Wellington and on Thursday March 17 he spoke on “Cross Examination of Data” at Victoria University of Wellington. He was driven that afternoon to Palmerston North by Dr Ganesalingam (who was one of his previous students) to give a talk at Massey University on Friday March 18 on “Statistics: Reflections on the past and visions for the future”. Both he and Mrs Rao flew to Rotorua on the Saturday for some well earned rest and recreation. A bus trip to Hamilton on the Monday had him ready to deliver four talks on Tuesday March 22 at the one-day workshop at the McMeekan Centre, Ruakura, Hamilton on “Exploratory Data Analysis and Statistical Learning”. On Wednesday March 23 I drove him to Auckland where he delivered a seminar within the Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, on “Statistics: Reflections on the past and visions for the future”. He spent Easter with relatives on a trip to the Bay of Islands. On the opening day of IWMS 2005 he gave a plenary talk, which also served as an open lecture to the public, on “Statistical proofs of matrix theorems”. The following day he delivered a more specialist talk to the workshop on “Anti-eigen and anti-singular values of a matrix”. Both he and Mrs Rao left Auckland to return to the U.S. via India on Friday April 1.

CR Rao and Nye John (University of Waikato) view
the photograph of Sir Ronald Fisher (Rao’s PhD supervisor)
and CP McMeekan (Director of Ruakura)
taken at Ruakura in 1959.

I wish to express my appreciation to all who made his and Mrs Rao’s visit such an enjoyable experience. He impressed us with his energy and took considerable interest in the statistical activity going on in the country. In particular I would like to mention Nye John, whose initial efforts lead to the viability of Professor Rao’s visit, and Dr Danny Walsh, in the Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences, who assisted me with the planning of his itinerary, liaising with the universities, travel agents and Professor Rao. His visit was very successful and one that will leave many of us with many enjoyable memories.