At the end of June, Wen Qing Ng submitted her thesis for her Masters of Science Communication. The creative component of this involved producing a short film, introducing us to Mawhai and Pip and their role in reducing the spread of Phytophthora agathidicida and kauri dieback.
News & Events
Ngā Rākau Taketake teams showcase their results
Conference season has returned at last! Despite the added facial attire, our plant pathogen teams made the most of being able to connect kanohi ki te kanohi at the recent New Zealand Plant Protection Society conference.
How Did Konini Primary Celebrate Matariki?
Toitū te Ngahere is a project exploring art in schools for ngahere ora (forest health). Using the processes inherent in art making, Toitū te Ngahere empowers tamariki to develop and tell stories about their own relationships with local ecosystems. This year, three classes at Konini Primary curated art and performance to share with their community at their Matariki celebration.
Five new students join Risk Assessment & Ecosystem Impacts
We are welcoming five new students to Ngā Rākau Taketake theme Risk Assessment & Ecosystem Impacts! Meet them and find out more about what they’ll be studying.
Provoking possibilities for stronger relationships with nature
Scientific information tends to be distributed as neatly packaged facts with simplified stories. This can be effective at raising awareness of issues, but it can also make solutions seem simpler than they are – people are then left wondering why change isn’t happening faster.
Stepping up: Mark Harvey joins co-leadership of Mobilising for Action
As we thank Tash for her services in co-leading Theme 2 – Mobilising for Action, we are also excited to welcome Mark Harvey (Mātāwaka no Ngāti Toa) to the co-leadership role! Here’s what Mark has to say about his passion for the theme and what he hopes to accomplish as co-lead.
Stepping down: Natasha Tassell-Matamua moving from co-lead to researcher for Theme 2
Natasha Tassell-Matamua is stepping down as co-lead for Theme 2 – Mobilising for action. But don’t worry, she isn’t going far! She’ll continue in a research capacity for several projects within the theme. Here’s what she has to say about this transition.
Phytophthora agathidicida genome reboot
A team at Massey University, in collaboration with researchers at Scion, Plant and Food Research, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Oregon, has built what appears to be the first chromosome-level Phytophthora genome assembly in the world.
Alana Thurston, shaking things up for kauri dieback detection
Last year, NRT funding was used to purchase a critical piece of lab equipment – a commercial paint can shaker.
The value of collaboration: four questions for four myrtle rust experts
Ngā Rākau Taketake (NRT) and Beyond Myrtle Rust (BMR) are partners in tackling myrtle rust. We spoke with Beccy Ganley and Nick Waipara (Rongowhakaata and Ngāti Ruapani ki Tūranga) from NRT and Mahajabeen Padamsee and Renee Johansen from BMR about their thoughts on the value of this collaboration.