IRANZ actions for the Science System Advisory Group
Ministers Judith Collins and Penny Simmonds have announced plans to revitalize New Zealand's science and university sectors to boost the economy. Two advisory groups, chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, will provide guidance on how these sectors can contribute more to New Zealand's development.
The IRANZ submission will include key messages from the IRANZ briefing to Ministers, highlighting the diverse contributions of Independent Research Organisations (IROs) to New Zealand's socio-economic development. The briefing emphasizes the importance of increasing investment in high-impact research for a high-performing economy and societal well-being.
Concerns raised by IRANZ include the erosion of contestable funding due to mapping monies to Strategic Research and National Science Challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. IRANZ advocates for a review of contestable funding processes to address low success rates and support research professionals.
More details about IRANZ’s submission will be available in the next Connections eNewsletter.
Dr Dianne McCarthy has been made a Distinguished Trustee of the Malaghan Institute, a lifelong award recognising her service for and enduring relationship with the institute. Photo: Malaghan Research Institute.
The Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has recently awarded the GNS Science Te Pū Ao and Cawthron Institute co-led Endeavour-funded Lakes380 research programme Gold Status, in recognition of ‘excellence and impact’.
Wrapping up in June 2023, Lakes380 was the largest study of lakes in Aotearoa’s history, sampling around 10% of naturally occurring lakes to understand their health now and in the past. The team travelled across Aotearoa collecting and analysing water samples, lake bottom sediment samples and lake sediment cores, as part of the five-year research programme.
Prior to this research environmental data was available for fewer than 5% of our lakes, with most monitoring records only covering the past 20-30 years, presenting challenges for the design of successful restoration programmes.
By analysing the sediment records dating back 1,000 years, the team were able to develop important baseline information about the history of the lakes and how they’ve responded to past environmental pressures pre and post human settlement.
Analysing how water flows to reach rivers and streams can help to reveal what proportion of agricultural contaminants come from past or more recent land use practices, a new paper shows.
And, in good news for authorities grappling with water quality issues, the analysis method uses already existing techniques and data without having to invest in complex and costly new research.
As part of the five-year Critical Pathways programme funded by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Lincoln Agritech’s Hamilton-based scientists studied water and contaminant flows through catchments.
In the Piako River headwater and Waitapu Stream catchments they carried out in-depth investigations, using several innovative techniques, such as airborne geophysical surveys and high-frequency nitrate measurements.
They also looked at 47 other catchments with widely varying environmental and land-use characteristics in Taranaki, Waikato, and Hawke's Bay. Here, they used a modelling method called BACH (Bayesian chemistry-assisted hydrographic separation and load partitioning).
Aqualinc's Matt Bubb writes about resource consents in an article published both on Aqualinc's website and in the latest issue of Canterbury Farming. Resource consents play a crucial role in the operation of most farming businesses. "They’re the cornerstone of our operations and enable us to carry out activities to make the most of our land."
"However, it’s common for us to overlook the importance of regularly reviewing our consents. By neglecting to review them we increase the likelihood of non-compliance, we could miss an opportunity to ensure the consents are appropriate for what we want to be doing, as well as potentially missing other opportunities the consents may provide.
"It’s essential to ensure that consents are accurate and up to date. A periodic review of consents will enable an assessment of whether they are still fit for purpose and that there is full compliance. Reviewing consents can reveal potential issues that need to be addressed before they escalate into problems.
"Reviews can identify where there may not be full compliance, allowing corrective action to be taken before regulators intervene. It’s important to understand that consents are not set in stone. Some aspects of them can be amended to better reflect the needs of the farming operation."
In a recent research update, Bragato's Amalia Bernardes Borssato, Damir Dennis Torrico, and Leandro Dias Araujo (Lincoln University) discuss how grape clusters and stems affect the quality and likability of wine.
They explain that changing the proportions of whole clusters and stem parts during fermentation is a common technique in winemaking, especially for certain red wines like Pinot Noir. Instead of removing the stems before fermenting the grapes, some winemakers leave them in to enhance the tannins, aromas, and freshness of the wine. However, stems can also add green and herb-like flavours that may not be preferred by everyone.
The characteristics imparted by stems depend on factors like the amount of berries and stems used, how they're added during fermentation, and the chemical changes that happen after bottling.
Until now, there haven't been studies specifically looking at how using whole clusters and stems affects the taste and composition of New Zealand Pinot Noir wines. This article shares new findings from Amalia Borssato's PhD research.
Scarlatti piloted a project which brought urban and rural businesses together to talk about sustainability. It has resulted in a raft of changes to reduce environmental impact, and interestingly has seen urban businesses looking to the rural sector for inspiration.
The project – funded by Our Land and Water National Science Challenge – asked, “If farmers could see urban groups making equal change to improve the environment, would they be more motivated to make change themselves?”
Yet the findings flipped this hypothesis on its head, with the researchers instead discovering that urban businesses in particular were motivated and inspired by their rural counterparts to make environmental changes.
“Rural businesses are protectors of the land in a way, and seeing that role that they hold and how they complete that role has been motivating for me to look at how we can improve,” says one urban participant.
“Rural businesses already have strong external drivers to make changes to reduce environmental impact. Many urban businesses didn’t have this pressure, and the Urban-Rural Partnership programme gave them a stronger internal motivation to be more sustainable,” says lead researcher Dana Carver.
The goal of CAR T-cell cancer therapy becoming a standard of care in New Zealand is another step closer with patient enrolment completed and a total of 30 patients treated within the Malaghan Institute’s ENABLE phase 1 safety trial, says Malaghan Institute Clinical Director Dr Robert Weinkove.
Preliminary results of the first 21 patients treated in the trial’s dose escalation cohort, presented at the American Society of Hematology meeting in December 2023, suggested the new third-generation CAR T-cell therapy, developed in collaboration with Wellington Zhaotai Therapies Limited, is safer than leading commercial CAR T-cell products, while remaining highly effective for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
Since then, a further nine patients have been treated at the optimal dose as part of a dose expansion cohort, with outpatient management and automated CAR T-cell manufacturing by New Zealand company BioOra Limited. Enrolment and treatment is now complete. Trial participants remain under follow-up, with a primary analysis of all 30 patients treated expected in June 2024, followed by publication of the results.
Dr Weinkove expects a phase 2 registration trial to be underway later in 2024.
Gillies McIndoe, along with AFT Pharmaceuticals and Massey Ventures (Massey University), will start developing a topical treatment for keloid and hypertrophic scarring. Keloids are thick scars that grow beyond the wound and can be itchy and painful. They can occur from any injury, from a small cut to a severe burn, and often cause disfigurement.
The cause of keloids isn't fully understood, and current treatments aren't very effective.
This collaboration follows a previous successful collaboration to develop a treatment for strawberry birthmarks.
Dr Clint Gray, Director of the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, says that current treatments for keloids often involve surgery or injections, which aren't always effective and can cause more scarring. Their topical treatment aims to improve the skin's healing process to prevent excessive scar tissue formation. This topical solution could offer a less invasive and more convenient option for scar management, potentially changing how scars are treated.
Bulky keloid forming at the site of abdominal surgery. Photo: Htirgan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The study found that patients who did respond positively to BDR generally had worse lung function, more respiratory symptoms, more hospital visits, and a higher need for intensive treatments. This suggests that BDR might be better used as a way to identify specific aspects of lung diseases that can be treated.
A recent groundbreaking study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has brought new understanding to how bronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) works in people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or both. BDR measures how much a person’s airways open up after taking medication that relaxes the muscles around the airways, which helps improve airflow.
Led by experts including Professor Richard Beasley from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, the study analyzed data from 6,788 participants across 18 countries. It specifically looked at how effective BDR is in diagnosing asthma by using standards set in 2005 and updated in 2021.
The findings showed that only about 20% of adults clinically diagnosed with asthma showed a significant response in the BDR test. Similar results were seen in patients with COPD or those with both asthma and COPD. These results suggest that using BDR as the main way to diagnose asthma may not be very effective.
Recently published research from WSP estimates that 3.4 percent of people who drive on Auckland's roads between 10pm and 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday mornings are over the drink driving limit. On Auckland's less-travelled roads the number is around fifteen percent. WSP's Research Manager for road safety Bill Frith explains how the numbers were crunched and what needs to happen to reduce the incidence of drink driving.
"The stats are sobering. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of traffic crashes in the OECD. Thirteen percent of Auckland’s fatal and serious crashes are alcohol related. Now, we have a comprehensive picture of drink driving in the region.
"Late last year, WSP was commissioned by Auckland Transport to research where and when in Auckland drink driving happens. To do this breath testing data from NZ Police was matched with road network data from the NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Transport.
"Data from 2020/21 and 2021/22 was analysed to generate estimates of drink driving on high-volume and arterial roads, primary collector, secondary collector, regional, and access roads."
“Usually on the pay cycle, my petrol tank is damn near empty … Then we got the ebikes … when I got paid again … it had only gone down by half, because it had pretty much just sat in the driveway,” says a participant in Māngere's ebike trial.
Mackie Research, along with partners Massey University, Time to Thrive and key stakeholders Auckland Transport, Waka Kotahi, and the Māngere Otahuhu Local Board have recently completed the three-stage Māngere ebike trial.
In Māngere, where transportation options are often limited, ebikes have proved a popular and practical solution. Participants have utilized ebikes to bridge transportation gaps, particularly for commuting to areas with inadequate public transportation infrastructure. The trial has also highlighted significant cost savings in transportation expenses, as well as enhanced mobility and autonomy for riders.
Beyond Māngere, other ebike trials throughout New Zealand have also shown considerable benefits. A recent ebike symposium held in Wellington provided a platform for various ebike initiatives nationwide to share their findings and insights.
Overall, the findings from the Māngere trial, along with those from ebike trials and schemes across the country, highlight the considerable potential of ebikes. However, further efforts are needed at a national level to incentivize their use, particularly in low-income communities. Continued support and investment in ebike infrastructure and initiatives are crucial for realizing the broader benefits of ebikes in New Zealand's transportation landscape.
With a report from the New Zealand Productivity Commission that up to 46% of jobs are at risk of automation over the next 20 years, Māori Peoples are at the cross roads with Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies, writes Dr Karaitiana Taiuru of Taiuru and Associates in his latest blog post.
"While the world faces the rapid growth of AI technologies, there is no reason why Māori can not be leaders in the area of Artificial Intelligence and determine their own economic sustainability and new opportunities for culture, social and overall wellbeing, rewinding the decades of negative statistics society has offered.
"This preliminary kaupapa Māori research has analysed the representation that Māori have in the New Zealand AI commercial, industry, and academic landscapes and looked at what voices and representation Māori have in this new and influential growth area.
"Considering AI has potential to drive innovation and contribute to improved social, environmental, and economic outcomes for New Zealanders. It is estimated that the digital technologies sector contributed $7 billion towards New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021."
The overall happiness and well-being of people are influenced by the type of house they live in and the neighbourhood around them. A recent study by Motu Economic & Public Policy Research highlights that the type of housing agreement - whether someone rents publicly, rents privately, or owns their home - also plays a significant role. People living in the same environment can experience different levels of well-being based on how secure their living situation is.
Motu researchers conducted a survey in Wellington, New Zealand, among people living in public housing, private rentals, and those who own their homes. Even though there are factors that might make us expect public housing residents to report lower well-being, the results show that they actually report higher levels of satisfaction and happiness compared to private renters and have similar well-being to homeowners.
One reason for these differences, especially between public and private renters, is the length of time people stay in their homes. In New Zealand, private renters often have less secure housing compared to other countries, which can affect their happiness.
Additionally, how people view their house and neighbourhood plays a big role in their well-being.
In late March, a team from HERA visited Australia with Manufacturing Minister Hon Andrew Bayly and industry representatives to better understand how Australia is responding to the “Industry 4.0” revolution.
During the visit, the delegation toured the University of Wollongong's Facility for Intelligent Fabrication (FIF) and the $81 million Australian Composite Manufacturing Co-operative Research Centre.
Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth Industrial Revolution, includes technologies like cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence, which are changing manufacturing.
These advancements are a focus for HERA to help transform the manufacturing sector using steel, preparing businesses for the future.
HERA CEO Troy Coyle says, "The future of manufacturing involves using Industry 4.0 technologies to change how goods are made, improving processes, and boosting efficiency and productivity."
"I want our sector to lead in these developments, so HERA is focused on developing facilities and supporting research to help manufacturing understand the potential of Industry 4.0. Seeing what's happening in Australia is important for this."
There is a concern when hand-held lasers are used near other workstations. They emit invisible laser radiation that can cause serious burns or even permanent blindness if someone is exposed to it directly or indirectly. Photo: HERA.
HERA wants to alert its members and the broader metals industry about potential safety issues related to using hand-held laser welding devices.
In the past, laser cutting has been commonly used alongside traditional cutting methods in the metals industry. However, laser welding was mostly used as an additional process, often in enclosed areas with protective screens and fume extraction systems.
At present, there's a rise in hand-held laser devices being used in workshops. These devices offer more flexibility compared to traditional industrial robots and are better at welding.
They're mainly used for sheet metal and stainless steel work. These modern hand-held devices can have similar power to industrial lasers and are classified as high-risk Class 4 laser products under safety regulations.
However, there's a concern when these hand-held lasers are used near other workstations. They emit invisible laser radiation that can cause serious burns or even permanent blindness if someone is exposed to it directly or indirectly.
Businesses using these technologies must assess the risks and implement measures to protect welders and other personnel from direct and reflected laser radiation.
There is a growing interest in disease resistant varieties (DRVs) because of their potential to help the wine industry reach its sustainability targets.
Disease resistant varieties refer to selections of plants that have been developed to be resistant to certain diseases. This resistance can be natural or developed through breeding practices, genetic modification, or other agricultural biotechnologies. Disease resistant varieties can reduce the dependence on fungicides and pesticides, leading to more sustainable grape growing.
Grapes are susceptible to a wide range of diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, and botrytis which are usually controlled with the use of chemical fungicides and cultural control methods. The development of DRVs is a response to the need to reduce spray applications, leading to more environmentally friendly grape growing. DRVs could have the benefit of reducing the reliance on chemical management, and the costs associated with this.
With the changing climate we may see warmer, wetter conditions, bringing with it an increased risk of disease outbreaks in vineyards. DRVs offer a proactive approach to mitigate these risks.
Farmers recently involved with applying for consents have found there has been an increase in the difficulty and complexity of the process. The National-led coalition government has acknowledged these challenges and aims to bring about changes to assist.
Some farmers, opting to wait and observe the government's actions before applying for consent, hope that changes will be made to simplify the process.
So, what has the new coalition government said it will do that may assist?
As part of their 100-day plan the Spatial Planning Act and the Natural and Built Environments Act have already been repealed. Work will now focus on amending the existing RMA with a goal of making it easier to consent new infrastructure and renewable energy and simplify consenting for primary industry. In the longer term, the intention is for the RMA to be replaced with new resource management laws that are based on enjoyment of property rights as their guiding principle. What this will look like remains unclear, but it is likely to mean less regulation and control on what can be done as of right.
An innovative system of ground movement sensors developed by WSP and used in the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) Far North Road Resilience Programme has been awarded a prestigious national health and safety prize.
The sensor system won the 'Vertical Horizonz Safety Innovation Award for a large organisation' at the Site Safe's 2024 Construction Health, Safety and Wellbeing Awards in March.
Detecting ground movement, soil moisture, and rainfall volume and intensity, the sensors have been live for the past eighteen months - providing real-time data transmission using advanced wireless techniques.
Data from the sensors feeds into a colour-coded, traffic light-style Trigger Action Response Plan (TARP) which has proven crucial for safety for contractors and geotechnical engineers repairing slips in the Maungataniwha Range.
The project highlights WSP and NZTA's commitment to using innovative sensor technology in a way that improves site safety in remote and inhospitable terrain.
WSP Technical Principal of Instrumentation Mike Lusby accepted the award on behalf of the project team. He says he’s incredibly proud of WSP and NZTA for winning a Site Safety award.
Government figures indicate that 24% of New Zealanders have some form of lasting impairment and the total number is growing as the population ages. While many older people remain healthy and mobile, the incidence of impairment nevertheless increases with age – 59% of people 65 or over have some form of disability. In just 5 years, it is estimated that over 1 million Kiwis will be 65 or over. By 2075, when most of the homes we are building today will still be standing, one in four to one in three of us will be 65 or over.
Despite these figures, Building Code requirements for homes make very limited provision for people with disabilities. In clause D1 Access routes, the objective that “people with disabilities are able to enter and carry out normal activities and functions within buildings” does not apply to housing. Similarly with G1 Personal hygiene, the requirement that “people with disabilities are able to carry out normal activities and processes within buildings” does not apply to housing.
Making new homes accessible for people at different stages of life, including old age, is obviously a good idea. It is vastly more cost-effective and less disruptive to design in accessible features at the planning stage than to retrofit after a home is built.
Previous studies have shown that workers tend to do better when they live in places where there are more job options and a lot of people are employed.
A recent working paper by Motu Economic and Public Policy Research's Dave Maré, Richard Fabling, and Dean Hyslop, uses two different ways of measuring job availability and employment rates faced by workers in the local labour market in which they were displaced. The paper analyses the effects on the subsequent migration decisions and labour market outcomes of workers who involuntarily lose their jobs as part of a firm closure or a mass layoff event.
Motu's analysis finds only limited support for the spatial mismatch hypothesis. The results imply that workers displaced from jobs in areas with greater employment density or job opportunities are still likely to emigrate, are less likely to be re-employed following layoff and have lower subsequent earnings.
However, if they do find a job, workers displaced in areas with more opportunities are less likely to have moved area, but more likely to have changed industry, and have a more similar job to that from which they were displaced.
“A lot of the research that’s has been conducted both here at the Malaghan Institute and globally is related to specific cells within the lung and how they respond to infections,” says PhD student Rebecca Palmer.
“My project is looking at the lung as a whole to understand how this complex organ defends itself in infections.”
Branching out from our windpipe, the lungs are elaborate structures flanking either side of our heart. They are the surface of gas exchange in the body. Oxygen from the air we breathe in is absorbed, while carbon dioxide and water, by-products from extracting energy from food, are breathed out. With its extensive branching structures, folded compactly between our ribcage, the total surface area for gas exchange can be as much as 140m2. That’s a total area equivalent to a two-bedroom house.
“As you can imagine, an area this large in our bodies that comes into direct contact with the air we breathe can make us vulnerable to attack from invisible threats like viruses and bacteria,” says Rebecca.
Rebecca Palmer is a PhD student investigating the lung’s multi-faceted immune response to provide a holistic understanding of how the lung adapts to different types of infections. Photo: Malaghan Research Institute.
“Science is done the same way it has always been done, we ask questions and record answers.” - Dr Hercules Konstantopoulos. Photo: Malaghan Research Institute.
Dr Hercules Konstantopoulos recently joined the Malaghan Institute as Head of Data Science in the Hugh Green Cytometry Centre. From astrophysics to renewable energy, his background working with data of all kinds ideally positions him to help release the full potential of our research.
“Science starts and ends with data,” says Hercules. “Any experiment, no matter how meticulously planned or advanced the technology, can only be as good as the quality of the data obtained and the strategies used to analyse the data.”
Data analysis refers to the process of extracting meaning from experimental data, often involving extensive statistical investigation to understand what the data are telling us and how reliable these results are. At the Malaghan Institute, data analysis is pivotal to every research area, from cancer, allergies and inflammation, to infectious disease and across all our clinical trials.
“Science is done the same way it has always been done, we ask questions and record answers,” says Hercules.
“What’s different these days is the amount of information that can be generated from a single experiment due to technological advancements over the last few decades.”
In this episode of Plains FM podcast Duct Tape and Flip Flops, Machine Vision Principal Scientist Jaco Fourie talks to "Josh and Josh" about how machine learning and AI can bring advances in our primary industries – the interview starts soon after 8:10.
Cawthron: Seaweek Science Talk - Seagrass Restoration with Dr Dan Crossett
Cawthron Marine Ecologist Dr Dan Crossett discusses "Investigations into seed and shoot-based seagrass restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand" in this Seaweek Science Talk jointly hosted by Cawthron and the Nelson Science Society.
IRANZ has gone social. For up-to-date information about the activities of our member organisations and notification of updates to the website follow us on the link below.
IRANZ is an association of independent research organisations. Its members undertake scientific research, development or technology transfer. Members include Aqualinc Research Ltd, Bragato Research Institute, BRANZ, Cawthron Institute, DigiLab, Dragonfly Data Science, Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA), International Global Change Institute (IGCI), Land & Water Science, Leather & Shoe Research Association (LASRA), Lincoln Agritech Ltd, Mackie Research, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Manawatū AgriFood Digital Lab, Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ), Mātai Medical Research, M.E Research, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, New Zealand Brain Research Institute, New Zealand Institute of Minerals to Materials Research, Scarlatti, Taiuru & Associates, Takarangi Research Group,
Te Tira Whakāmataki, and WSP Research.
Contact: Dr Rob Whitney, Executive Officer, mobile: +64 27 2921050, email: information@iranz.org.nz
