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2024 News

  1. New partnership targets deadly livestock disease

    The fungus associated with facial eczema is common worldwide, but the toxicity of the Aotearoa New Zealand strain causes much more severe problems. It’s a challenging and painful disease that attacks the liver and bile ducts of ruminants and currently has no cure.

  2. Weed-eaters: gains for weed biocontrol in Aotearoa New Zealand

    European colonists introduced more than 25,000 species of plants to Aotearoa New Zealand within a 200-year period, and many of these newly introduced species soon naturalised and began causing problems.

  3. The gospel of St John’s wort: a phenomenal weed biocontrol success story

    Like so many plants brought by Europeans to augment botanical and kitchen gardens in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand in the 19th century, St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) duly escaped and by the 1930s was one of the worst invasive weeds in both countries.

  4. How data science can shape tree modelling for sustainable land management

    A four-year data science programme involving a joint Aotearoa New Zealand-Singapore research team working to accelerate the development of data science capability in both countries has wrapped up demonstrating valuable connections between remote sensing, ecology and social sciences.

  5. Why does the pūkeko cross the road?

    Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and sector partners contracted Manaaki Whenua to identify, assess, monitor and manage road edge effects on biodiversity. The research emphasised the vulnerability of larger native birds to roadkill due to behaviour and habitat factors.

  6. Pā harakeke a spiritual home in Lincoln

    Te Kohinga Harakeke o Aotearoa – National New Zealand Flax Collection at Lincoln is one of Manaaki Whenua’s most visited collections. People want to find out which varieties of harakeke (flax) are most suited to their projects. Weavers come from all parts of Aotearoa New Zealand to harvest leaves fo...

  7. DNA samples support biomonitoring efforts

    Leaders of Ngāti Tura – Ngāti Te Ngākau have hand-delivered DNA samples collected from various insects from their rohe to the Lincoln Molecular Lab. Once the samples are processed, they will be used to create the beginnings of a bespoke reference library that will support the iwi’s eDNA-based biomon...

  8. Parasitic wasp found while digitising collections

    A small parasitic wasp had been flying under the radar in Aotearoa New Zealand until it was caught on camera. The digitising of our nationally significant collections and databases by Manaaki Whenua researchers provided the opportunity for serendipitous discoveries, which is how a species of the Ich...

  9. Ground-breaking study reveals rich diversity of nematode species

    Manaaki Whenua nematode systematist Dr Zeng Qi Zhao and NIWA marine nematode taxonomist Dr Daniel Leduc have written a major 212-page book, The Marine Biota of Aotearoa New Zealand: Ngā Toke o Parumoana: Common free-living Nematoda of Pāuatahanui Inlet, Te Awarua-o-Porirua Harbour, Wellington.

  10. New DNA technologies illuminate links between genetic variation and biological invasion

    Science needs to put genomes and microbes at the centre of invasion research according to recently published studies.