Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures projects

This project aims to develop a toolkit to reduce the impact of high seas longline fishing on New Zealand seabirds and to support a sustainable New Zealand fishing industry. The toolkit will provide information on where seabirds are vulnerable, and practical methods to avoid catching seabirds.

This project will conduct a national survey to determine existing stink bug parasitoid species in New Zealand. This could reveal additional biocontrol options against brown marmorated stink bug if it entered the country. 

This project will deliver advanced, commercial grade, high performing cell-lines to enable the cultivation of meat at scale via three workstreams. The first workstream will optimise cell-line growth rates in an animal-free culture. The second will focus on developing bioreactor capabilities and scale-up. The third workstream will look at regulation, licencing, and certification.

This project successfully designed, tested and developed a range of hot tub, sauna and spa cover products made from sustainable New Zealand grown sources. This includes native timber and wool insulation. These products are now ready for market.

Outdoor Gravity using wool hemp fibres to make hot tubs more sustainable – RNZ

This project aims to eliminate the impact of facial eczema on the health and wellbeing of livestock, and of livestock farmers, in New Zealand. Prevention solutions such as early detection and diagnosis, and mitigation and management options for both animals and pastures are key to the programme. Decision support tools will also be collaboratively developed with farmers and rural professionals.

Media releases

Government partnership to tackle $332m facial eczema problem – Beehive

Programme documents

Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts Outcome Logic Model [PDF, 485 KB]

Quarterly progress report summaries

October to December 2024 – Eliminating Facial Eczema progress report [PDF, 440 KB]

August to September 2024 – Eliminating Facial Eczema progress report [PDF, 383 KB]

May to July 2024 – Eliminating Facial Eczema progress report [PDF, 264 KB]

April to May 2024 – Eliminating Facial Eczema progress report [PDF, 469 KB]

Up to April 2024 – Eliminating Facial Eczema progress report [PDF, 582 KB]

This project reared juvenile king salmon (smolt) under commercial recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) conditions. It validated various means of triggering and measuring smoltification (the process of adapting from freshwater to the ocean). This included diet, experimenting with lighting conditions, and exposure to brackish water. The smolt were then transferred to seawater to assess their growth and performance. The project demonstrated that king salmon perform extremely well under commercial RAS rearing conditions. Both diet and exposure to brackish water before transfer to sea can significantly reduce or even eliminate stunted growth.

Optimising smoltification and king salmon rearing in a recirculating aquaculture system Cawthron report [PDF, 8.4 MB]

The project aims to develop a manufactured feed and nursey culture system for mussel spat through their most vulnerable stage. Increased spat survival could provide a solution to spat supply problems and help increase the sector’s productivity.

Government backing mussel spat project – Beehive

The project aimed to develop, trial, and validate species-specific bait technology and sustainable pot-fishing methods (microplastic-free mesh) as an alternative to longline fishing. After positive early signs in the New Zealand ling fishery, the project recorded discrepancies in bait performance. It was determined that species-specific feeding behaviour needs further research for the outcomes to be achieved.

This project contributed to developing New Zealand-based textile manufacturing as part of the strong wool value chain. Advanced robotic knitting technology was tested and used to successfully prototype a range of new knitwear using mid-micron New Zealand sourced wool. The project developed the end-to-end operational requirements for the technology from yarn selection, through machine operation and quality assurance.

ACRUX Wool Systems

This project will assess non-copper/low-copper alternatives for efficacy against walnut blight. It will share research findings and general best practice with walnut growers, with the goal of industry-wide improved blight control using less copper.

This project will implement strategies to safeguard the maize and sweetcorn industries against fall armyworm. It will conduct research to understand fall armyworms’ lifecycle, biology, and population dynamics to deliver effective long-term management strategies.

Integrated approach offers fresh arsenal in battle against fall armyworm – MPI media release

The project completed a feasibility study to re-establish a commercial scallop fishery at the top of the South Island. It found that a restoration programme involving spat catching, scallop on-growing, seafloor restoration, seeding and seafloor management and harvesting would be feasible and contribute to successful recovery of the scallop fishery. A restored area of 100 hectares over 10 years is scientifically and operationally achievable and would provide the scale needed to re-establish a commercial fishery.

This project will undertake research and stakeholder engagement to inform the establishment of a sustainable, self-funded organic sector body. This body will bring the organics sector together to deliver the goals of the organic sector strategy and enable the sector to meet future international trade obligations.

NZ Tube Mills Limited will develop a new full size, commercially available kiwifruit cane-stripping pruning machine which will operate with their recently developed ECO BEAM ® system for kiwifruit. This will help overcome labour shortage issues by providing a pruning solution for growers that significantly reduces costs.  

This project will help Atkins Ranch lamb producers better understand intramuscular fat (IMF) data and apply learnings to make on-farm changes necessary to improve IMF scores. This will then allow them to earn price premiums for enhanced IMF performance.

This project will develop a modified live virus vaccine against Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD). The research will focus on developing an effective immunogen and establishing its safety and efficacy for use, with the aim of improving animal welfare and increasing on-farm returns.

New vaccine research aims to combat prevalent bovine disease

This project builds on the original Step Change project, with the aim of helping dairy farmers in Taranaki and across New Zealand increase profit while reducing their environmental footprint. It will test the modelled assumptions and provide the information farmers need to confidently adopt lower emissions farming systems.

This project provided inspiration and information for farmers who had the goal of achieving farm ownership. The overarching aim was to facilitate the retention of farmers in the dairy sector. It developed video case studies and information for events, drawing from interviews with successful dairy farm operators and rural professionals and a wider farm survey to demonstrate successful pathways into farm ownership.

Paths to Farm Ownership report

SMASH Trust Facebook - case studies

This project will establish a work programme to act on the recommendations made in the sector plan Thriving Together: Futureproofing New Zealand Apiculture 2024-2030, which supports a goal of doubling New Zealand’s honey export value by 2030. The project aims to create stability for the industry, with a clear pathway for independent growth and investment.

New Zealand Honey Strategy resets industry ambitions for a strong future – Apiculture New Zealand

This project will use sensing and Al technology to detect attributes and characteristics within fruit, specifically looking at internal attributes such as browning. It will develop specialised laser technology and a camera and control system that is designed to integrate with existing grading systems. This will help ensure only the highest quality export fruit is sent offshore, reducing waste and economic losses due to undetected defects.