Category: News

In September 2022, an intergenerational team of Māori researchers and innovators undertook the trip of a lifetime, travelling deep into the Northwest Territories of Canada for a two-week cultural exchange programme.

Ngā Rākau Taketake is one of several groups who contribute to the growing body of knowledge around myrtle and kauri ora. As a way to keep track of all the excellent mahi in these spaces, we have updated our myrtle rust and kauri dieback stocktakes. Enjoy!

The 10th meeting of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) – Phytophthora Working Party was held in June this year at the University of California, Berkeley. Meetings like these are a good reminder of the damage caused by species in the Phytophthora genus and of New Zealand’s role in the global effort being made to combat Phytophthora-caused diseases.

Meet Ngā Rākau Taketake student Jaynie Yang. She handed in her Master’s in September and is excited to join the workforce, hopefully in a biosecurity capacity. But first, she is collecting data from soil cores to learn more about root production rates in kauri.

Controlling invasive species is an important part of biodiversity and conservation work here in Aotearoa New Zealand. While our focus in the past has been on invasive mammals and invertebrates, BioHeritage is funding a new project that will give researchers a head start on future weed invasions.

Far North Iwi Ngāti Kuri is on a mission to save two of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most endangered tree species from extinction.

A recently published paper has provided evidence and framework to support reform in wildlife management regulations surrounding the customary harvest of swan eggs at Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere).

After our lengthy isolation due to COVID, our researchers have finally been able to travel overseas to connect with their international colleagues. Many plant diseases, such as myrtle rust, are being studied by research teams all around the world, so in-person hui can help us overcome roadblocks and catalyse progress.

Siqi Yang, a Master’s student with the Risk Assessment & Ecosystem Impacts team, used a new-to-kauri-forests method of measuring decomposition rates in soil: the Tea Bag Index method.

Dr Sara Belcher (Te Arawa) has recently been offered a tenured position at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. With tenure, she now has avenues for making the Environmental State Assessment Tool (ESAT)—which she developed during her PhD—into an open-source tool available for all.

How do disturbances in our ecosystems spread and cascade across landscapes? David Garcia-Callejas is an ecologist working at the University of Canterbury with our Crazy & Ambitious Think Tank – and puzzles like this are his speciality.

A Tranche 1 BioHeritage project has attracted over $2.7 million in funding for its spin-off programmes – the AUT Living Laboratories Programme and the Farming with Native Biodiversity pilot.

A recent study into Pūniu River Care Inc. found that there is “an urgent need for kaupapa Māori led and designed organisations” such as PRC within environmental management in Aotearoa to have “longer term impact”.

We welcome Nathan Matamua, a Master’s student at Massey University, to Empowering Kaitiakitanga & Environmental Stewardship (SO2). He will be investigating alternative ways of expressing and caring for water resources using the stars as a guide.

Karla Carey has arrived in environmental stewardship through growing her passion for psychology and her interest in her Māori culture. We welcome Karla, a Master’s student at Massey University, to the Empowering Kaitiakitanga & Environmental Stewardship team.

The Eco-index Biodiversity Dashboards have successfully qualified as a Digital Public Good with the international Digital Public Goods Alliance – the first to do so from Aotearoa New Zealand. This is an outstanding achievement and a win for open-source collaboration in international conservation.