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Innovation stories

  1. National collections – not just a nice-to-have

    The importance of Manaaki Whenua’s nationally significant collections of biota

  2. Restoration of cultural harvest at Te Waihora

    During the year researchers have worked collaboratively with Ngāi Tahu to investigate customary management reforms, with a focus on wetlands, but more specifically black swan (Kakīnui) populations across the South Island. Black swan eggs (Hua Kakīnui) were collected as part of an annual harvest at T...

  3. Biocontrol approved for invasive horehound weed

    Recognised as one of the worst weeds in lucerne crops. Negative economic impacts to farmers may be as high as $29−39 million annually.

  4. A toolbox of novel technologies for predator control

    Affordable monitoring and control techniques for pest predators are essential to the future success of Predator Free NZ, and for wildlife management in general. Researchers at Manaaki Whenua are currently working on a wide range of projects to extend the tools available for pest control.

  5. Science to manage soil erosion

    New Zealand is losing 192 million tonnes of soil each year due to erosion – the equivalent of more than 7 million dump-truck loads.

  6. Smarter remote sensing for effective land management

    Satellite photography has long been a useful tool in land management, enabling landscape comparisons over time that show the large-scale effects of historical land-use decisions. Modern remote-sensing techniques use all parts of the light spectrum and are very high resolution, and the data sets are ...

  7. Maximising value from irrigation

    Major technical advances in irrigation systems over the past two decades have given farmers and growers the ability to apply specific amounts of water to a paddock or block of land. However, different types of soil and pieces of land within a block or paddock require different amounts of water, and ...

  8. The Honey Landscape

    The mānuka honey industry is booming – but how many hives can the landscape sustain?

  9. Progress towards Predator-Free New Zealand

    Manaaki Whenua has conducted pest management research for decades, but its landscape-scale predator control research really began in Hawke’s Bay in 2014, working with the Poutiri Ao ō Tāne project, and later the Cape to City project, led by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and DoC with mana whenua and c...

  10. Measuring and managing soil carbon – fundamental field science for New Zealand

    The carbon contained within soils is critical for soil health and ecosystem functions, such as the maintenance of soil structural stability, root growth, air/water movement, and nutrient cycling. It plays an important part in the control of rainwater run-off and soil erosion, and is a vital food sou...