"Recent discussions about science and mātauranga Māori have highlighted the need for IRANZ members to note our collective support for not only our Māori colleagues but also mātauranga Māori. As a collective, we aim to develop sustainable solutions to the challenges we all face, with an open-minded, inclusive, and bold approach that incorporates values beyond traditional science. In many research facilities, including our members, indigenous and non-indigenous researchers are working in partnership to solve some of these significant challenges. We are committed to upholding the value of mātauranga Māori, and the mana of our Māori colleagues and their marae communities." - Dr John McDermott, IRANZ Chair.
Read our statement: IRANZ & STEMM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, & Mātauranga
Latest news and updates
WSP Research kicks off innovative chip seal recycling study
November 2022: In what’s understood to be a world-first study, scientists from WSP Research are about to start investigating an environmentally friendly way of recycling chip seal and re-using its ingredients in new road surfacing.
WSP Petone-based research manager for transport Matt Sharp is confident that lab trials will result in a sustainable recycling process that brings Aotearoa New Zealand a step closer towards a circular economy in road surfacing.
“When a chip-sealed stretch of road reaches its use-by date, it’s usually milled up and disposed of in clean fill. That’s hardly a win for roading sustainability. In this feasibility project, we’re looking at whether we can extract, and re-use, bitumen and aggregate from old chip seal in a way that doesn’t harm the planet and preserves usability,” says Matt.
The project is being funded through Waka Kotahi’s Hoe ki angitū Innovation Fund.
Photo: WSP Research.
Te Tira Whakamātaki: Banking the seeds of our precious plants
November 2022: Some of New Zealand's native plants are critically endangered. In this RNZ interview Te Tira Whakamātaki Māori biosecurity researcher and policy advisor Marcus-Rongowhitiao Shadbolt says we need to get serious about seed banking, to protect them for future generations.
"We have one-in-13 native plants currently at risk of extinction," says Marcus-Rongowhitiao.
"On our nationally critical list - which is the most endangered a plant can be - there are 37 species. To get onto this nationally critical list, there has to be less than 250 mature individuals left in the wild."
Shadbolt says Aotearoa currently doesn't pay enough attention to seed banking as a practice - his work at Te Tira Whakamātaki is dedicated to helping design a more effective way of safeguarding our native plants.
Photo: Fredox Carvalho, Pexels.