Case studies
Browse case studies to see examples of research, science and innovation in action.
Long-term research partnership releases new red kiwifruit
First there was green, then came gold, and now a brand new red kiwifruit is heading for supermarket shelves around the world. It’s the latest variety to come from the Plant & Food Research–Zespri partnership and the culmination of two decades of intensive plant breeding, market research and horticultural trials.
Seaweed supplement enables low-methane agriculture
A team of New Zealand entrepreneurs and scientists thought commercialising a natural methane-reducing supplement for cattle was too good an opportunity to miss. So they leapt right in.
Galvanising action to reduce waste, prevent pollution and save money
A thin coating of zinc protects steel from corrosion and transforms it into a cheap and useful material. Galvanising makes sense from an environmental perspective but the need to clean the steel beforehand creates large quantities of concentrated acid waste, laced with iron and zinc.
Re-thinking academic conference travel to reduce emissions
Sitting on a plane at Heathrow Airport after a conference in England was a wake-up moment for James Higham. In contrast to previous conferences that had been beneficial for his career, he realised that this one had been a waste of time, money and carbon.
Genetic testing and breeding to improve our honeybees
Understanding the genetics of bees has been in the ‘too-hard’ basket for years. Queen bees mate with multiple males a kilometre in the air, bees live together as a super-organism and the genetics themselves are just plain weird.
New Zealand Ice Core Research Facility
The New Zealand Ice Core Research Facility allows ice cores to be processed, analysed and stored safely. This capability has enabled pioneering research in Antarctica and secured New Zealand’s position as a leader in climate science.
COVID-19 models inform government responses
Soon after COVID-19 was identified overseas, the Te Pūnaha Matatini team modelled scenarios of how the disease could spread in this country. Scenarios that showed the possibility of tens of thousands of deaths formed some of the evidence that underpinned the strong measures taken by the Government to eliminate the virus.
Relentless science communication in the time of COVID
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Siouxsie Wiles guided New Zealanders’ actions with sensible and timely information about the virus and how to beat it. She stepped up willingly, having been training unwittingly for the role for the last decade.
Listening to the voice of the taniwha
Mātauranga Māori and scientific knowledge were brought together to enable iwi to set a minimum water flow for the spring-fed Awahou Stream, Rotorua.