Biosecurity

Biosecurity is the process of detecting and controlling unwanted crop weeds, pests and diseases. Agriculture and the natural environment are very important to New Zealand’s economy. We have a ...

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ARTICLE

Human impacts on marine environments

Throughout human existence we have relied on the oceans – for food, as a waste dump, for recreation, for economic opportunities and so on. However, it’s not only our activities in the marine ...

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INTERACTIVE

Threats to marine habitats

Human actions at sea and on land are putting increasing pressure on the ocean and the species that live there.

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ARTICLE

Insects and forest ecosystems

Our native forests – ngahere – have complex ecosystems. Within the wider ecosystems are smaller ecosystems, such as the one formed around honeydew. Honeydew is a sweet, sticky substance produced ...

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ARTICLE

Fungi – the good, the bad and the ugly

Fungi, plants, and animals live together in Tāne-mahuta, and all have important roles to play. Fungi live with plant roots, helping the plant to get minerals and water from the soil. Fungi like ...

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ARTICLE

Taxonomy – the science of species discovery

Our planet has life on it, and for that reason, it may be unique in the universe. Ironically enough, we know much more about some of the planets floating thousands of kilometres away than we do ...

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ARTICLE

Myrtle rust

Myrtle rust is a disease caused by the fungus Austropuccinia psidii. It threatens plants in the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family. New Zealand has a variety of native plants that belong to this family ...

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ARTICLE

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region. New Zealand’s native biodiversity is unique because of our long isolation as small islands in a ...

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INTERACTIVE

Auckland Islands marine ecosystem

The marine environment of the Auckland Islands in the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands group is home to a diverse range of species. Use this interactive image to learn about this diverse ...

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ARTICLE

Kiwifruit – learning to live with Psa

In November 2010, the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae (Psa) was discovered in a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard. Psa had previously decimated kiwifruit crops in other parts of the world ...

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ARTICLE

Fisheries in New Zealand – timeline

Fishing is a very important industry in New Zealand, and we have one of the largest territorial waters in the world. This timeline provides a look at some of the historical aspects of fisheries ...

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INTERACTIVE

Kiwifruit and Psa – a timeline

This timeline follows the discovery of the bacterial disease Psa (Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae) in New Zealand, the combined efforts to first contain and manage the disease and the ...

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ARTICLE

Kauri dieback and mātauranga Māori

Research led by Victoria University of Wellington’s Dr Monica Gerth in collaboration with iwi has discovered molecules from New Zealand native plants could hold the solution to kauri dieback ...

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CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT

Myrtle Rust Reporter

Myrtle rust is a serious biosecurity threat, and help is needed to monitor its spread. This citizen science project aims to gather information on the location, hosts and intensity of this fungal ...

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ARTICLE

Psa-resistant kiwifruit

Research by Plant & Food scientists is aiming to breed kiwifruit cultivars that show resistance to the pathogen Psa. Listen to this RNZ audio, Psa-resistant kiwifruit, recorded in 2012 ...

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VIDEO

Mātauranga Māori

Weno Iti, the Te Kūwaha Manager (NIWA Māori Development Centre) and NIWA's Maori development officer, Apanui Skipper, describe their views on mātauranga Māori. While they agree that mātauranga ...

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VIDEO

Threats to frogs

Dr Phil Bishop, from the University of Otago, talks about the threats facing our native frogs. The most significant threat in New Zealand is introduced mammalian predators. Point of interest: ...

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TEACHER PLD

Kaitiakitanga with Tame Malcolm

In this recorded professional learning session Tame Malcolm (Kaimahi Matua at Te Tira Whakamātaki) and Greta Dromgool from the Science Learning Hub explore kaitiakitanga. Many of us are familiar ...

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INTERACTIVE

Subantarctic Auckland Islands revealed

An interactive overview of the Auckland Islands.

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INTERACTIVE

Detecting myrtle rust in New Zealand

This timeline follows the discovery of the fungal disease myrtle rust and its spread throughout New Zealand.

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ARTICLE

Weeds – threats to native ecosystems

We all know about the threats that predators like possums, rats and stoats pose to New Zealand's native ecosystems, but did you know different exotic weeds are threatening our ecosystems too? The ...

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ARTICLE

Combating kiwifruit Psa

Scientists around New Zealand have been working on how to combat the highly virulent pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) – a bacterial disease that has been plaguing the kiwifruit ...

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ARTICLE

Kiwifruit plagued by Psa

In November 2010, kiwifruit growers discovered a highly contagious vine-killing canker, Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa), that affects the vine of the kiwifruit but not the actual fruits ...

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ARTICLE

Amazing ryegrass

Ryegrass is an important food for cattle, but it is also a favourite food of competing insects. Can biological control offer a solution? What's so special about ryegrass? Ryegrass is an important ...

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