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  How science has changed timber building in New Zealand

  Walk through almost any modern New Zealand home and you’ll find H1.2 boron treated timber used for framing. It’s a standard, affordable and trusted material with decades of scientific research behind it that has reshaped how we build safer, longer lasting homes.

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  A surprising use for seaweed

  Many of the species that call the ocean home – fish and seaweed, for example – have developed unique characteristics that allow them to survive in this environment. This means they produce valuable compounds that have a range of uses. Scientists are finding ways to identify, extract and process these compounds for New Zealand manufacturers to use

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  Superconductors in space

  In the 1980s, scientists began working with a class of materials that conduct electricity with zero resistance — superconductors. What began in DSIR and later evolved through Industrial Research Ltd and Callaghan Innovation now lives on as the Paihau–Robinson Research Institute.

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  Reducing textile waste to save the planet

  Every year, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of re-useable fibre ends up in New Zealand landfills, releasing greenhouse gases that can damage the environment.

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  Unravelling the benefits of wool

  Wool is an extremely versatile fibre and has been a core component of New Zealand’s agri-business since sheep were first introduced for farming in the 1840s.