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Pūtaiao - Manaaki Whenua science summary

Tēnā koe and welcome to Issue 17 of Pūtaiao (‘science’ in te reo Māori), our quarterly publication showcasing the work of Manaaki Whenua.

Pūtaiao Issue 17. Soil science – the hole story. All the dirt on our soil research.

This issue contains stories on the progress we are making in science for our land and soils. We describe several different aspects of progress in online soil mapping tools, the benefits of embracing technology such as LiDAR and proximal sensing, and take a close look the impact of urban development. We hope you enjoy the issue.

To find out more about any of the stories, contact Manaaki Whenua’s Senior Communications Advisor
Kim Triegaardt: triegaardtk@landcareresearch.co.nz

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If you would like a printed copy of this publication please contact Manaaki Whenua’s Senior Communications Advisor Kim Triegaardt: triegaardtk@landcareresearch.co.nz

Latest articles from Pūtaiao

Matt Oliver from Marlborough District Council identifies soil colour during soil sampling in the Blind River area, south of Seddon.

Down to the ground

Soil sampling is long hours of hot, dirty work – and the end result is information for 10 million hectares of farmable land across AoNZ b...

Balin Robertson collecting soil samples by auger in Mokoreta, Southland.

S-map expands further

Manaaki Whenua has completed an extra 500,000 hectares of new soil mapping coverage across some of AoNZ’s best food-producing land.

Two soil extremes

Filling in the blanks

As part of ongoing efforts to extend the coverage of S-map, a team of pedologists from Manaaki Whenua recently targeted one of the very c...

Marlborough District Council environmental science technician Zeke Hoskins (right) and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research technician Kishor Kumar (left) standing next to the mobile soil-sensing platform.

Scouting out soil data

Although the stony soils of the upper Wairau Valley, Marlborough, have underpinned the success of winemakers, they have made soil mapping...

Exposed fence posts left behind after a hill slumps away.

Smarter research hits its target

The Smarter Targeting of Erosion Control programme has wrapped up five years of research aimed at answering some of the key questions aro...

Hugh Smith doing sample collection and recording of site characteristics for sediment fingerprinting in the Ōreti catchment, Southland.

Fingerprints point to the sediment source

Manaaki Whenua researchers are recognised internationally for their knowledge of sediment fingerprinting (also referred to as sediment tr...

A forest clearance in Tairua on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula.

Closing the ‘window of vulnerability’

Most commercial forests in Aotearoa New Zealand are clear-fell harvested. Trees of harvest age are cut down in areas called coupes or com...

Terracing and land contouring creates flat, geotechnically stable land for establishing roads and concrete foundations

Keeping urban soils spongy

Manaaki Whenua researchers are assessing the impact of urban development on soils, quantifying if urbanisation is making soils less spong...

Housing developments create huge disturbances of soil, often leaving quantities of unwanted or surplus soil.

Maximising use of ‘surplus’ soils and sediments

Manaaki Whenua researchers have developed the first ever AoNZ guide to help improve the management of surplus soils. These are the soils ...

Irrigation use at the trial site at Massey University.

How farming and changing irrigation affect nitrogen and phosphorus runoff

Irrigation to increase pasture and crop yields is often associated with an increase in nutrient inputs through fertiliser and changing ma...

Illustration of the erosion process-based structure of the SedNetNZ model.

SedNetNZ supports land and water planning

Researchers from Manaaki Whenua have been working closely with regional councils in AoNZ to apply the SedNetNZ model to support land and ...

Mikonui River, West Coast

Linking soil quality indicators to land use pressure and water quality

For the first time in AoNZ researchers have been able to link soil and water quality to land-use pressures by including the use of land v...

Dr Graeme Claridge packing accumulated soil samples during an expedition in 1969.

Antarctic soils in from the cold

Manaaki Whenua researchers have made a significant contribution to future research on the properties of Antarctic soils.

Onscreen map of the Whakatōhea rohe showing where specimens have been collected.

Connecting data back to tangata whenua

Connecting data back to the whenua is at the heart of a new Manaaki Whenua project. Across our collections, Manaaki Whenua holds and care...

snz awards v2

Celebrating our achievements

Anne Sutherland, James Shepherd, David Pairman (LUM team); Dan Richards (Early Career Researcher), Stella Belliss (LUM team), Chris Phill...

LIDAR image showing detailed ground elevantion and cattle on a farm track

Farming the ‘F1’ way

Helping farmers optimise technology in the farm management cycle to be their most productive.

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Key contact

Kim Triegaardt

Kim Triegaardt

Senior Communications Advisor
Brand & Communications - Communications
Contact