Plant and Food Research's science platforms

Plant & Food Research receives $42.7 million per year SSIF investment for research in 2 Science Platforms. A science platform is a combination of people, facilities, information and knowledge that provides a particular, ongoing science and innovation capability for New Zealand.

Plant-based food and seafood production ($20.9 million per annum)

Description: This platform supports capabilities that contribute to the sustainable production and protection of crops and seafood. By 2026, this platform will have produced a deeper understanding of the biology and physiology of key economic plant and seafood species, their production systems, their pests and diseases and interactions with the environment. 

For New Zealand, this will mean:

• Improved and novel growing systems
• Sustainable management of soil and water
• New integrated pest/pathogen management systems
• Climate Change mitigations
• New capability in Digital Horticulture
• New technologies for improved Market Access and Biosecurity

The objective for our portfolio of research investments is to maximise impact for New Zealand using a whole-of-value chain approach, across different sectors and over multiple timeframes. We aim to achieve an appropriate balance of near and longer-term targets to ensure that impact is delivered at regular intervals, and to develop new ideas and capabilities for the future (currently $8.7 million Sector-based; $7.2 million Pan-sector-based; $5 million Future Science).

Premium plant-based and seafood products ($21.8 million per annum)

Description: Premium Plant-based and Seafood products platform supports capabilities that create value-added food and beverages. By 2026, this platform will be combining genetics, food, consumer science and postharvest technologies and engineering to create value-added foods, beverages and other premium products. 

For New Zealand this will mean:

• World class breeding programmes utilising the latest technologies
• Future foods and biomaterials
• New postharvest technologies
• Consumer Science-informed food development
• Improved food safety and assurance
• Enhanced data analytics, including bioinformatics 

The objective for our portfolio of research investments is to maximise impact for New Zealand using a whole-of-value chain approach, across different sectors and over multiple timeframes. We aim to achieve an appropriate balance of near and longer-term targets to ensure that impact is delivered at regular intervals, and to develop new ideas and capabilities for the future (currently $14.8 million Sector-based; $2 million Pan-sector-based; $5 million Future Science).

For further information on Plant & Food Research’s SSIF investment contact Richard Newcomb, Richard.Newcomb@plantandfood.co.nz.

Plant-based food and seafood production ($20.9 million per year)

Supports capabilities that contribute to the sustainable production and protection of crops and seafood.

By 2024, this platform will have produced a deeper understanding of the biology and physiology of key economic plant and seafood species, their production systems, their pests and diseases and interactions with the environment. For New Zealand, this will mean:

• improved and novel growing systems
• sustainable management of soil and water
• new integrated pest/pathogen management systems
• climate Change mitigations
• new capability in Digital Horticulture
• new technologies for improved Market Access and Biosecurity.

The objective for our portfolio of research investments is to maximise impact for New Zealand using a whole-of-value chain approach, across different sectors and over multiple timeframes. We aim to achieve an appropriate balance of near and longer-term targets to ensure that impact is delivered at regular intervals, and to develop new ideas and capabilities for the future (currently $8.7 million Sector-based; $7.2 million Pan-sector-based; $5 million Future Science).

Premium plant-based and seafood products ($21.8 million per year)

Supports capabilities that create value-added food and beverages. By 2024, this platform will be combining genetics, food, consumer science and postharvest technologies and engineering to create value-added foods, beverages and other premium products. For New Zealand this will mean:

• world class breeding programmes utilising the latest technologies
• future foods and biomaterials
• new postharvest technologies
• consumer Science-informed food development
• improved food safety and assurance
• enhanced data analytics, including bioinformatics.

The objective for our portfolio of research investments is to maximise impact for New Zealand using a whole-of-value chain approach, across different sectors and over multiple timeframes. We aim to achieve an appropriate balance of near and longer-term targets to ensure that impact is delivered at regular intervals, and to develop new ideas and capabilities for the future (currently $14.8 million Sector-based; $2 million Pan-sector-based; $5 million Future Science).

Platform 1: Plant-based food and seafood production

This Platform provides research and capabilities in the biology of key economic plant and seafood species, production systems, pests and diseases, and interactions with the environment to support innovation in the sustainable production and protection of crops and seafood.

In 2022 to 2023, $19.1 million was invested in basic-targeted research through the Tuia ki te Whenua Sustainability and Provenance Wins Ngā Pou Rangahau- Growing Futures Direction to deliver research ‘today’ to underpin ‘tomorrow’s’ future growing environments, and in the Digital Horticultural Systems Direction to explore how digital technologies might transform perennial horticulture towards a fully-autonomous future. These investments delivered research on stakeholder perspectives, sensing and imaging, data architecture and visualisation, apple system models, simulated orchard ecosystems, and regenerative food systems. As well, research to support the recovery from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle and a new tool to evaluate the depth of our huatahi partnerships with Māori were funded through Platform 1.

In this Platform $4 million was invested in Better Border Biosecurity research to reduce the entry and establishment of new plant pests and diseases in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2022/2023 $12.9 million of research activity was classified as Discovery Science. SSIF investment supported ongoing and new collaborations with leading research organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world that enable researchers to benchmark science; access new thinking, capabilities, facilities and environments; and ensure Aotearoa New Zealand benefits from relevant science advances. New technologies were also produced to protect horticultural sectors from high impact pests and diseases through our investment in the Better Border Biosecurity collaboration. This year 277 papers were published, our SciMago score was 4.84, and the percentage of collaborative publications was 88%.

Additional information(external link) — Plant & Food Research

Platform 2: Premium plant-based and seafood products

This Platform provides basic-targeted research and capabilities in genetics, food and consumer science, and postharvest technologies and engineering to support premium foods, beverages and other high-value products.

In 2022 to 2023, $23.57 million was invested in 3 Ngā Pou Rangahau - Growing Futures (NPR-GF) Directions: Hua ki te Ao Horticulture Goes Urban, Ngā Tai Hōhonu Open Ocean Aquaculture and Authentic Taonga Foods. These Directions deliver basic-targeted research ‘today’ that underpins longer-term opportunities ‘tomorrow’. NPR-GF investments delivered research on future urban consumers, traits for life indoors, overcoming pollination barriers, environmental plant hacking, Māori growing practices go vertical, performance measurement technologies for aquatic food production systems, fish species selection and assessment, aquafeeds for open ocean aquaculture, and cellular systems to support healthy fish.

Platform 2 also funded an initiative on taonga data that has contributed to a pan-CRI initiative in this area, a collaboration with AgResearch in food material biosciences, and a project on exploring taonga species with Māori partners. This year approximately $21.4 million was invested in Discovery Science. SSIF investment supported collaborations with leading research organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world. These collaborations enabled researchers to benchmark science; access new thinking, capabilities, facilities and environments; and ensure Aotearoa New Zealand benefits from advances in genetics, food and consumer science, technologies and engineering.

Research outputs described new fish rearing systems, novel technologies for measuring fish performance, aquafeeds, species selection frameworks, use of biofilms, a biobank of fish cell lines, survey tools for assessing consumer perceptions of food systems, plant traits for indoor growing systems, new propagation techniques for woody plants, and genetic control of fruit development. This year 277 peer-reviewed scientific papers were published. Our SciMago score for science excellence is 4.84. Our measure of research collaboration (percentage of peer-reviewed publications) was 88%.

Additional information(external link) — Plant & Food Research

Platform 1 provides underpinning research and capabilities in the biology of key economic plant and seafood species, their production systems, pests and diseases, and interactions with the environment to support innovation in the sustainable production and protection of crops and seafood.

In 2021/22, $20.9 M was invested in basic targeted research through the Tuia ki te Whenua Sustainability and Provenance Wins Growing Futures Direction, which is delivering research ‘today’ to underpin ‘tomorrow’s’ future growing environments, and a new Digital Horticultural Systems Direction exploring how digital technologies might transform perennial horticulture towards a fully-autonomous future. New programmes were: `Data Architecture, Analytics and Visualisation’; `Modelling High Performance Apple Systems’; `Simulating Orchard Ecosystems’, and `Smart Sensing and Imaging Systems’. Investments across these two Directions delivered research on regenerative production ecosystems, future supply chains, new models of perennial horticulture and the deployment of digital twins. In this platform $3.9 M was invested in Biosecurity Aotearoa research to reduce the entry and establishment of new plant pests and diseases in New Zealand.

In 2021/22 $12.5 M of research activity was classified as Discovery Science. SSIF investment supported ongoing and new collaborations with leading research organisations in New Zealand and around the world. These collaborations enabled Plant & Food Research to benchmark science; access new thinking, capabilities, facilities and environments; and ensured New Zealand benefits from advances in crop protection and sustainable production science. Research outputs contributed to improved and novel growing systems, sustainable management of soil and water, new integrated pest/pathogen management systems, climate change mitigations, new capability in emerging digital technologies, and new technologies for improved market access and biosecurity. This year 352 peer-reviewed scientific papers were published. Our SciMago score for science excellence is 4.9. Our measure of research collaboration (percentage of scientific peer-reviewed publications) this year is 81%.

Platform 2 provides underpinning basic targeted research and capabilities in genetics, food and consumer science, and postharvest technologies and engineering to support the development of premium foods, beverages and other high-value products. In 2021/22, $21.8 M was invested in sector and pan-sector-aligned programmes and two Growing Futures Directions ‒ Hua ki te Ao Horticulture Goes Urban (HgU) and Ngā Tai Hōhonu Open Ocean Aquaculture (OOA) ‒ delivering basic-targeted research ‘today’ to underpin longer-term opportunities ‘tomorrow’. HgU programmes commenced on `Foods by Design’, `Environmental Plant Hacking’, and `Māori Growing Practices go Vertical’. OOA programmes commenced on `New Open Oceans Ecosystems’ and `Cellular Systems for Fish Health’. Growing Futures investments delivered research on future urban consumers, traits for life indoors, performance measurement technologies for aquatic food production systems, fish species selection and assessment, and aquafeeds for open ocean aquaculture.

This year ~$17.2 M was invested in Discovery Science. SSIF investment supported ongoing and new collaborations with leading research organisations in New Zealand and around the world. These collaborations enabled Plant & Food Research to benchmark science; access new thinking, capabilities, facilities and environments; and ensure New Zealand benefits from advances in genetics, food and consumer science, technologies and engineering. Research outputs enhanced breeding programmes, future foods and biomaterials and growing systems for producing them. This year 352 peer-reviewed scientific papers were published. Our SciMago score for science excellence is 4.9. Our measure of research collaboration (percentage of scientific peer-reviewed publications) this year is 81%.