Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures projects

This project investigated, developed, and validated a proprietary green chemistry process to transform waste bivalve shell (from mussels and oysters) into ultra-high purity pharmaceutical grade calcium carbonate and other higher value minerals.

This project engaged backyard poultry keepers and veterinarians to co-design an information platform that provides evidence-based information and educational modules on common poultry preventive care, welfare, and disease issues in New Zealand. A registration database and mobile application with decision-support tools was also launched to facilitate real-time sharing of information to assist with national exotic disease preparedness and response efforts.

AkoVet

This project focused on developing a management strategy for control of Botrytis disease management in tunnel house blueberries. It found that crop monitoring and reacting with appropriate fungicides at first signs of the disease were essential. Tolerant varieties offer the best long-term option for berry growers to control Botrytis. In the short term, best management practices include maintaining an open plant canopy, clearing away dead and decaying plant tissue, and improving air flow to reduce inoculum levels. Best practice harvest management such as picking rotation timings and optimal post-harvest cool chain were also identified as major contributors to reducing the expression of Botrytis post-harvest.

This project aimed to enable and empower Dairy Women’s Network members to farm for the future. It provided personalised coaching through peer-to-peer learning groups to extend the depth and breadth of farmers’ knowledge, and developed a central knowledge hub. Key to the success of the learning groups were good relationship building, clear, simple communications and inclusiveness.

Funding boost to empower women to farm for the future – Beehive

This project developed the Mainland Catch app for recreational fishers in the South Island. The app is now available online. Fishers can use the app to self-record data on their catch, such as the GPS location, date, time, fish species, fish size, fish numbers and photos. Fishers' data can be aggregated to signal trends in abundance, size and availability of species. This will help ensure the sustainability of the fishery and better inform shared decision making.

Mainland Catch self-reporting app – Fish Mainland

This project conducted research and development to create new products from truffles, and offered workshops and land assessments to build the capability of Māori landowners who want to grow truffles. The project developed the OBD Unearthed Secrets skin care range which includes a product line of lip balm, heel balm, eye serum and anti-aging cream. Ohiwa Black Diamonds Truffles also undertook 63 land assessments and soil analysis for the purpose of growing truffles. This led to 8 truffières being planted out on whenua Māori, with another 14 blocks to be planted out following completion of the project.

Owners of unproductive land encouraged to grow 'black diamonds' – MPI media release

This project was successful in reconfiguring New Zealand’s Seed Certification Information System (SCIS) to meet the needs of AsureQuality, the contracted service provider for the New Zealand seed industry. The system enables all parts of the production chain from grower, merchant, exporter, verifier, and regulator to enter and share data on a common platform. The software application went into production in May 2024, with the support of all the project partners. It is now the default interface for all industry stakeholders participating in varietal seed certification in New Zealand, which will help protect and grow our $400 million seed industry.

In an industry first, this project proved that New Zealand lamb can be automatically graded for intramuscular fat, hot and in-line. A novel sensor system, called Marbl™, was tailored for New Zealand carcasses and validated at a processing facility. The non-destructive, automated measurements can be combined with other traits to differentiate products and create premium brands.

This project aimed to demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of utilising greenhouse waste and other green waste to create heat and renewable CO₂ for greenhouses as well as producing, using, and burying char. It successfully demonstrated that it is possible to utilise waste crops to turn valuable biochar into an animal feed additive, and ultimately create a greenhouse hub with negative emissions.

Hot Lime Labs

This project successfully accelerated development of a world-first fire resistant, acoustic wall panel for commercial interiors made entirely from New Zealand strong wool. Now available for sale, the panel offers an environmentally friendly alternative to existing products made from synthetic materials.

Acoustic wool panels the latest innovation for New Zealand strong wool – Beehive

Allied Veterinary Professionals (AVPs) and paraprofessionals include veterinary technologists, nurses, technicians and assistants. This project provided evidence that AVPs and paraprofessionals are currently significantly underutilised in New Zealand veterinary practices. The main barriers to utilising AVPs more effectively were the inability to recruit and retain appropriately qualified AVPs, a lack of awareness around the clinical tasks that AVPs are legally allowed to perform, and not having a legislative framework to regulate AVPs as a profession in New Zealand. Once these barriers are addressed, there will be scope for veterinary clinics to explore different business models for better leveraging AVPs to address critical veterinary workforce shortages.

This project tested the effectiveness of using Ulva seaweed for the bioremediation of waterways containing excess nutrients. A pilot-scale facility pumped water from the Waihou River in the Waikato through the seaweed before being discharged back into the river. Testing proved the seaweed absorbed excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water, which was then return to the river in a cleaner state.

Land-based seaweed trial a nationwide first – Beehive

Hauraki Bioremediation Project – AgriSea NZ

Mainland Kiwi, supported by Start Afresh Ltd, led a grower-funded storage trial to understand the implications of on-orchard storage performance. The trial found that picking fruit at optimum maturity enables maximum storage potential. It also identified good harvest practices that are critical to fruit quality. As a result of this project, kiwifruit loss in storage reduced from more than 4% to below 1% in the Nelson region. The best practice guidelines created have been shared with kiwifruit growers.

Start Afresh Best Practice Guidelines [PDF, 998 KB]

This project aimed to find a cost-effective method to grow high yielding, out of season strawberries in a controlled vertical farm.

It determined that the key factors for success are high health plants, pollination, air flow, and nutrients. It also concluded the grow system needed refining to make it more cost-effective, modular, and simpler to build and maintain. This would make it easier to use and harvest fruit from. Electricity price is a major cost, so the system is only commercially viable at high yields.  

Foxton's Winter Strawberries – Seven Sharp story

This project produced new and updated research to better understand the role of fibre, milk volume and high fat milk replacer in feed for calves transitioning from milk to grass. This will help calf rearers make more informed decisions to optimise animal health and performance.

Calf rearing fact sheets

On-Farm Research report: Effect of milk inputs and fibre supplementation on calf feed intake and growth [PDF, 269 KB]

This project set out to develop technology to process whey permeate as a sweetener product with anti-diabetic properties, transforming a cheesemaking waste product into a value-added natural food additive with potential nutraceutical value. WheyTech Bionics has developed an ultrafiltration process to isolate the peptide in cheese whey, producing a solution which can be dried into a powder and substituted into high sugar foods associated with causing diabetes.

This project developed an orchard growing software system focused on cherries with a database built around individual trees, called FruitMinder. FruitMinder gives growers tools to make informed decisions about resource use and requirements, emissions, and yield. It has potential to increase productivity and work well with automated orchard systems.

Digital tree ‘tag’ on way for orchards – Farmers Weekly

This project produced a range of training, technical and informational resources to support farmers in the protection and management of native biodiversity on their land, while incorporating mahinga kai principles. Relationship building was found to be integral to successful knowledge sharing and practice change and a tailored approach was necessary to account for regional differences.

Farming with Native Biodiversity

This project funded the construction, testing, delivery, and calibration of a fully electric spray unit to demonstrate spraying can be done completely electrically with an electric tractor. This will add to the body of evidence to demonstrate to farmers that electrification is possible and financially beneficial.

The 1500e01 electric foliage sprayer is now complete - and it works perfectly – Forest Lodge Orchard

The project developed an arable sector strategy to identify specific opportunities to support the transition from the current commodity focused industry. This includes a whole of value chain approach to enhance domestic and export growth.

The next steps are to hold workshops in 2024 to confirm priorities and actions for arable sector growth. These will involve arable growers, arable sector industry bodies, pan-primary sector interests, food manufacturers and food product innovators.