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  Shaping smarter land use decisions for New Zealand

  For nearly 30 years, the Pakuratahi land-use study has compared forestry and pastoral farming across real catchments – enhancing New Zealand’s understanding of how different land uses impact the environment.

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  Expanding the range of the kākāpō

  Kākāpō, found only in Aotearoa New Zealand, are critically endangered, flightless, nocturnal, and the heaviest parrots in the world. Kākāpō quickly disappeared from most of the country after the introduction of predatory mammals. By 1995, they were down to the last 51 individual birds. After intensive efforts to save them from extinction there are now about 250 kākāpō confined to three small, predator-free islands.

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  The flax of the matter

  In the early 1960s, Rene Orchiston began collecting harakeke, recognising its remarkable diversity and its importance to her Māori friends.

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  Solving winter grazing challenges

  As farming intensified across New Zealand in the 1990s, a new and complex challenge emerged: how to protect waterways from nutrient runoff while maintaining productive farming systems.

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  Science for healthy honeybees

  Aotearoa New Zealand’s honey exports generate around $425 million annually, but honeybees contribute far more to our food system than just the liquid gold they produce. They pollinate a wide range of crops, from our favourite fruits and vegetables to plants eaten by livestock.

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  The shape of water

  How a national framework supports river science and management

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  How many fish are in the sea?

  Effective fisheries management depends on scientific analysis

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  Conserving our iconic birds

  New Zealand’s iconic endemic birds – found nowhere else on earth – include many critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable and at-risk species.