Learned societies play a number of roles in countries around the world, including national representation of the research community; recognising and rewarding research achievement; and as funding agents for fellowships, research grants or research institutes. They have a networking role both within national research communities and in linking with international networks, and can provide a national and neutral forum for academia, government and industry. The roles learned societies play reflect their national context and history, and this article outlines the context, history and approach of the Royal Society of New Zealand, as a multidisciplinary national academy, encompassing science, social science, technology and the humanities. (Contains 1 table, 4 figures, and 5 notes.)