Unsung heroes under the soil
Much of the scientific work being carried out at the Massey University led regenerative agriculture project, Whenua Haumanu, is below the ground.
Since it’s formation in 2013, NZPA has worked with approximately 400 companies, generating product revenues of $175m – a good return on MBIE funding of $12.8m.
Massey’s AgriFood Digital Lab is an industry-focused research centre with a wide research spectrum including horticulture, precision agriculture, robotics, advanced materials, sports analytics and biotechnology.
MAFDL projects focus on developing agriTech solutions to overcome challenges across a number of industries.
MAFDL director, Professor Andrew East says he is delighted the university is partnering with the NZPA to form the hub.
“Professor Johan Potgieter, a leader of the facility, is a founding member of the NZPA and has made significant contributions to, and benefited from, the collaboration and its connections, with many of the commercial projects undertaken by MAFDL emanating from the NZPA’s collaborative model. We see this hub as a natural extension of the MAFDL’s capability and an opportunity for Massey to lead the way in areas such as sensing and automation, for which Johan is so well known.”
“We have created a hub for some of the most outstanding innovation, robotics, IOT, and 3D printing supporting the newly established NZ Product Accelerator Agritech Hub,” says Massey University Professor of Robotics Johan Potgieter.
The NZPA Agritech Hub, located within “The Engine” on the AgResearch campus in Palmerston North will support companies and research to accelerate commercial opportunities into local and international markets. The Engine is a new initiative that combines the best of Massey’s academic abilities, along with expertise in the translation of those abilities, to support companies to solve problems and realise growth opportunities.
“We have developed a ‘pull science’ model of assisting New Zealand companies with technology solutions by tapping into the collective capability in our network and across the New Zealand Research and Development community. Massey’s contribution has played a key role in our success,” says Associate Professor Mark Jones, co-director of the NZPA.
“The NZPA core team is based at the University of Auckland’s Newmarket campus and the formation of another hub in Palmerston North formalises the relationship with Massey. This new hub will facilitate easier access to our New Zealand-wide network for companies in the central North Island,” he adds.
“We have another hub being established at Victoria University later this year and we are in discussions with some of our other partners for similar NZPA hubs throughout New Zealand. These hubs will play a major role in creating a more collaborative and expanded technology network for the benefit of NZ enterprises.”
The NZPA is a collaboration of New Zealand universities and Crown Research Institute GNS Science.
