Current estimates indicate that the majority of people in New Zealand and Australia are likely to have dietary iodine intake levels below their respective dietary reference intakes. An extension of permissions for voluntary iodine fortification of an increased number of foods and mandatory iodine fortification with potassium or sodium iodide or iodate are being considered as a possible means of improving the iodine status of New Zealanders and Australians.

The goal of this research is to construct four sheep calorimeters as well as a prototype calorimeter for cattle to provide New Zealand with world class facilities for the rapid and highly accurate measurement of methane (CH4) emissions from forage fed ruminants.

Monitoring of benthic habitats and communities is needed to detect and manage adverse effects of disturbance from fishing and other factors. This report explores options for designing a deep-sea benthic monitoring programme for New Zealand waters. The issue is approached by considering: the usefulness of data presently available; characteristic spatial scales of variability that emerge from these data; which attributes of the benthos are appropriate for monitoring; survey design, and costs.

Rhodolith beds in New Zealand harboured high diversity of associated macroalgae and invertebrates, undescribed taxa as well new records and range extensions of known species. Subtidal beds were investigated, examining structure and physical characteristics at two locations in the Bay of Islands, and characterising two species, Lithothamnion crispatum and Sporolithon durum. Responses of these rhodolith species to environmental stressors were also investigated both in the field and in culture.