The government’s Developing our Energy Potential – Draft New Zealand Energy Strategy and Draft New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy document has been open to public submissions for the last three months, with submissions due to close by tomorrow.

The strategy document fits energy within government’s stated goal of growing New Zealand’s economy.  It sets out how government intends to do this (both with renewable and fossil fuel-generated energy) while still being environmentally responsible, and looks at supply, delivery and use of energy.

Among the priorities mentioned are the development of New Zealand’s petroleum and mineral resources, and the target that 90% of New Zealand’s electricity be generated renewably by 2025 (currently, 73% is generated from hydro, geothermal and wind resources).

But to what extent are the strategies realistic and achievable and have the correct energy priorities been identified?

The SMC gathered a panel to run the ruler over the document, and to see to what extent they’re realistic.

The document can be accessed on the MED website, here.

The speakers’ audio can be listened to below, and the slides are available to registered journalists in the SMC Resource Library.

Part I

Part II

SPEAKERS

Tim Davin: Tim is Director of Policy at IPENZ.  He has engineering and  Master of Public Policy degrees and is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers NZ. Tim has worked in the local government, NGO and consulting sectors. At IPENZ he has worked on a range of technically related public policy issues,  including the infrastructure sector.

In March 2010 IPENZ released a report, Electricity Generation – Achieving New Zealand’s objectives, which discusses the likelihood of New Zealand being able to achieve energy efficiency, renewables, emissions and security of supply objectives in the future.

Associate Professor Bob Lloyd: Bob is the Director of Energy Studies Programme at  the Department of Physics, University of Otago. From Australia; he came to New Zealand in 2002 after having worked for the Australian Coo-operative Research Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE), based at Murdoch University in Perth. He has also worked on renewable energy systems in China and the Pacific Islands and taught at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

His current research interests, at Otago University where he is the Director of Energy Studies and Associate Professor in the Physics Department, lie in energy conservation in residential housing and energy management including world energy resources and peak oil. His PhD from Flinders University in South Australia was completed in the field of experimental atomic physics.

As if we don’t have enough stress in our lives, now there’s a new one – food stress. But what’s the cause and who is suffering from it?

One of the key topics for discussion at a national conference being held in Dunedin next week (1-3 September) by Dietitians New Zealand will be food security.

Professor John Coveney, Associate Dean at Flinders University, will be presenting results from his research in Adelaide, which looked at cost, availability and affordability of a healthy food basket.

The food basket in this study cost 9% of income for high-income families and between 28 and 34% for households on a low income.

And there’s nothing to suggest the situation is any different this side of the Tasman. Research carried out in Wellington and Dunedin, to be presented at the conference by Claire Smith, a nutritionist and PhD candidate at Otago University, found that over three quarters of low income households experienced some level of food insecurity over the last year.

Food is both abundant and relatively equal in terms of quality, cost and availability across New Zealand. But those on tight budgets face spending far more of their income to feed themselves.

The Science Media Centre has invited Professor John Coveney and Claire Smith to present the results of their latest research in an ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING in advance of the conference, on Tuesday 31 August at 11am NZT.

Click below to listen to the briefing audio:

Part I

Part II

SPEAKERS:

Professor John Coveney: John is the associate Dean at the School of Medicine at Flinders University in Adelaide. His research interests include the politics of food, food security and health promotion. This involves an examination of the social and cultural determinants of food choice and distribution at the level of the family and the community, including efforts to change eating habits. His research in this area will be presented at the

His research interest also concern food regulation and legislation, new food technologies, and national and international food policy. Methodologically, research combining quantitative and qualitative forms of inquiry is of interest.

Claire Smith: Claire Smith will complete her PhD at the University of Otago this year. She is looking at aspects of food security, socioeconomic status and the family food environment. Previous to this she has worked as a nutritionist on the Children’s Nutrition Survey at Otago University Zealand and also as a nutritionist for a large supermarket chain in England.

Groundwater is a crucial natural resource — around one third of the water used in New Zealand comes from underground — but it can be easily overlooked in the contentious debates surrounding declining water quality and resource management.

With the highly-anticipated recommendations from the Land and Water Forum on freshwater management reform due back to government by 31 Aug, water quality issues will soon be in the headlines again.

Groundwater supplies drinking water for cities like Christchurch and Napier, and for rural communities wherever well water is used. Changing land use, including increasingly intensive farming practices, can substantially degrade groundwater quality, and even lead to bacterial outbreaks and hospitalisations. But many complicating factors can make it difficult to trace pollutants back to their source.

In this online media briefing, the Science Media Centre (NZ) invited a range of groundwater quality and freshwater researchers to address questions including:

• Why is groundwater important?
• How do recent changes in land use affect groundwater quality?
• What impacts from agricultural practices (dairying, irrigation, pesticides, etc.)?
• What best practices can minimise these effects?
• What lives in groundwater? How do human activities affect these ecosystems?

SPEAKERS

Dr Jenny Webster-Brown – Director, Waterways Centre for Freshwater Mgmt

Prof Jenny Webster-Brown is a water quality scientist with 30 years experience, and Director of the Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management. The newly-established Waterways Centre was officially launched July 2010, and draws on expertise from Canterbury and Lincoln universities to create a focal point for improving knowledge-driven water resource management in New Zealand.

Dr Chris Daughney – Manager, Groundwater Section, GNS Science

Dr Chris Daughney manages the Groundwater Section at GNS Science, which includes fifteen scientists and technicians, and offers comprehensive expertise in all aspects of groundwater systems and processes. Since 2002, Chris has managed the New Zealand National Groundwater Monitoring Programme, which operates in collaboration with fifteen regional authorities across New Zealand, and provides a national perspective on trends in groundwater quality.

Dr Murray Close – Principal Scientist (Groundwater quality), ESR

Dr Murray Close has 32 years of experience as a groundwater quality scientist. He started his career in the Hydrology Centre, Water & Soil division in Ministry of Works & Development, and later transferred to the DSIR, Geology & Geophysics division. He has been leader of the groundwater group at ESR for the last 18 years. He has carried out a wide range of studies into groundwater quality and impacts of land use on groundwater.

Dr Graham Fenwick – Principal Scientist – Groundwater Biodiversity, NIWA

Dr Graham Fenwick started his career in marine biology, subsequently applying his expertise in crustacean biology and ecology to the new field of groundwater ecology. Graham continued his earlier work in groundwater biodiversity after joining NIWA in 1998 and continues to investigate the biodiversity and functioning of this fascinating realm.

LISTEN TO AN AUDIO RECORDING

Pt 1:

Pt 2:

Q & A:

Click on the players above to hear audio from the briefing.  Scroll down to view slides from the speakers.

VIEW PRESENTATION SLIDES

New research into the earthquake responsible for the deadly 2009 tsunami in Samoa and Tonga, has shown that it was caused by not one, but two near-simultaneous massive undersea earthquakes.

The surprise finding helps explain why the resulting tsunami did not fit predictions — i.e. the waves were larger than expected in some areas, while in other areas they failed to arrive at the times anticipated by the warning system.

The New Zealand-led research follows months of detailed analysis of seismic andtsunami data, and features as the cover story in this week’s edition of the prestigious science journal Nature.

More details on the findings.

The Science Media Centre (NZ) held a media briefing with lead author Dr John Beavan of GNS Science ahead of the publication.

LISTEN BACK TO AN AUDIO RECORDING:

Click on the audio player above to hear the presentation. Registered journalists can also download Dr Beavan’s slides in the SMC Resource Library.

SPEAKER:

Dr John Beavan – GNS Science

John is a geophysicist who explores the deformation of the Earth’s surface. As well as being the primary cause of earthquakes, this deformation is the underlying reason for the present appearance of the New Zealand landscape.

He uses geodetic techniques, such as GPS, to precisely measure the deformation associated with plate tectonics, earthquakes and volcanoes. John uses these measurements to investigate the underlying mechanisms behind the deformation, and applies the results to enhancements in the New Zealand survey system and improved estimation of earthquake and volcano hazard.

He has been heavily involved in the development of GeoNet, and is an advisor to a similar project in the Unites States.

Representing the most comprehensive and authoritative answer yet to one of humanity’s most ancient questions — “What lives in the sea?” — Census of Marine Life scientists have today released an inventory of species distribution and diversity in key global ocean areas.

The marine researchers involved combined centuries-old historical records with data obtained during the decade-long Census, creating a “roll call” of species in 25 regions — from the Antarctic through temperate and tropical seas to the Arctic.

According to Census scientists, the landmark collection of papers — published in the open access journal PLoS ONE —  set a baseline for measuring changes that humanity and nature will cause, and will guide future decisions on explorations of poorly-explored ocean regions, especially deep abyssal waters.

(See the Census of Marine Life’s media resources page for more information, including image and video galleries and a full list of publications)

Science Media Centre (NZ) held an online media briefing ahead of the release (Mon 2 Aug) with lead author of the collection’s overview global synthesis, Dr Mark Costello of University of Auckland and New Zealand regional report contributor Dr Alison MacDiarmid of NIWA to discuss the state of knowledge of marine biodiversity, and its larger implications.

LISTEN TO AUDIO

Click the audio player above to listen to an audio recording of the briefing. Presentation slides available below.

WATCH PRESENTATION SLIDES

SPEAKERS

Dr Mark Costello – Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland

Dr Costello is Associate Professor in Marine Sciences at University of Auckland, specialising in marine ecology, biogeography, and biodiversity. He previously worked as Executive Director of the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in Canada; and in other marine science roles in Ireland and Britain. He studied in Galway (BSc) and Cork (PhD) Ireland. He has a particular interest in the use of biodiversity informatics to provide online resources, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, and the World Register of Marine Species, of which he was founding chair.

Dr Alison MacDiarmid – Principal Scientist, Marine Ecology, NIWA, Wellington

Dr MacDiarmid is a senior marine ecologist with over 25 years experience working on aspects of New Zealand’s marine ecosystems from shallow coastal reefs to deepsea habitats. She leads the CoML linked (through HMAP) ‘Taking Stock’ project – a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional project that is attempting for the first time to describe changes to NZ’s marine ecosystem since humans first settled about 750 years ago. This project is largely funded through the Ministry of Fisheries Biodiversity Fund.

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: Tues 20 July, 10 am (NZT)
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Conservation efforts in New Zealand currently depend heavily on a single pesticide — sodium monofluoroacetate, or 1080.

In its 2007 review of 1080 — widely-used in New Zealand to control pest animals in native ecosystems and agricultural land — ERMA (the Environmental Risk Management Authority) called for additional research into alternatives to the controversial poison.

Biological control of pest animals has been a major focus for research funding for over 20 years in both New Zealand and Australia. Many research teams are actively seeking new and supplemental approaches to current technologies. Yet no method has yet gained widespread acceptance as a viable alternative to 1080.

However, a turning point may be approaching. The last 12 months have seen a record period of new pest control product registration, according to Dr Charlie Eason, Director of Research for Connovation Ltd, and a speaker at this week’s NETS Biosecurity conference (21 – 23 July) in Blenheim.

The Science Media Centre has assembled a panel of experts to discuss progress made in research into 1080 alternatives, what kinds of new products will become available in the near future, and what the trade-offs are likely to be.

LISTEN TO AUDIO

Part 1:

Part 2:

Click on the players above to hear an audio recording of the briefing. Registered journalists can also download presenters’ slides from the SMC Resource Library.

SPEAKERS

Dr Charles Eason – Professor in Wildlife Management, Lincoln University; Director of Research at Connovation Ltd

Charles Eason specialises in vertebrate pesticide toxicology and has published extensively on the pros and cons of 1080 and alternative poisons. He has a PhD Toxicology and worked in new drug development for over 10 years. From 1989 to 2006 Dr Eason worked at Landcare Research in roles including Pest Control Technology Research Team Leader and Science Manager. Since 2006 he has been working on new pest control products with Connovation and Lincoln University researchers. His current activities are linked to environmental protection and research, product development, pest control, and biodiversity with a focus on humane low residue poisons.

Dr Shaun Ogilvie – Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Management, Lincoln University

Shaun has a PhD in Ecology from the University of Canterbury and is currently a Senior Lecturer in Wildlife Management at Lincoln University. Shaun is also the Tumuaki of the Kaupapa M?ori Unit at Lincoln’s Bio-Protection and Ecology Division.

He has previously held science roles at both NIWA and Landcare Research. Shaun’s research interests include the development of techniques for the management of animal pests. He has also been involved in investigating the fate of 1080 in the environment, and has published a number of articles in this area. He was appointed as a member of the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA NZ) in 2008.

Dr Janine Duckworth – Programme Leader, Possum Biocontrol Development, Landcare Research

Janine Duckworth is a reproductive biologist and immunologist with a PhD in Animal Science researching alternative methods of pest control for vertebrate species such as possums and stoats. Her current roles include leader of reproductive control research theme for the National Research Centre for Possum Biocontrol, and developing species-specific fertility control vaccines and delivery systems, and oral chemosterilants as humane and environmentally safe methods of vertebrate pest control.

Please note that participation in the online briefing is restricted to journalists and members of the media. Contact the SMC on (04) 499 5476 or smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz for more information.

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: Tues 13 July 9 am (NZT)

As part of its focus on improving public health, the Maori Party is preparing to introduce a bill calling for GST on healthy foods to be scrapped.

The bill is provisionally scheduled to receive its first reading in parliament on July 21.

Click below to play back the audio from the briefing:

In March this year, the Supermarket Health Options Project (SHOP) study, conducted over the space of a year and looking at the food purchasing habits of over 1,000 New Zealanders, found that dropping GST from healthy foods would encourage people to buy more healthy foods.

Countries including Australia and the United Kingdom already have no GST equivalent on certain ‘healthy’ foods.

Healthy foods are being defined by the Maori Party as including fruit and vegetables, bread and cereals, milk (but not cream) products, lean meats, and legumes.

But what are the implications for public health of exempting classes of ‘healthy’ food from GST?

The Science Media Centre has assembled a panel of experts to discuss research into the public’s attitude to healthy foods, the SHOP study itself, and the potential implications for New Zealand’s public health of exempting healthy food from GST.

Note: the SHOP study can be accessed by registered journalists in the SMC Resource Library.

SPEAKERS

Dr Cliona Ni Mhurchu – Programme Leader in Nutrition & Physical Activity at the Clinical Trials Research Unit of the University of Auckland

Dr Cliona Ni Mhurchu is Programme Leader for Nutrition Research at the University of Auckland’s Clinical Trials Research Unit. She has led several large research studies, including the Supermarket Healthy Options Project (SHOP), which evaluated the effectiveness of price discounts and nutrition education as strategies to promote healthier food purchases. She is Director of the Health Research Council programme, “Population Interventions to Improve Nutrition & Physical Activity”, and later this year will take up the Heart Foundation of New Zealand Senior Fellowship.

Bronwen King – Public Health Nutritionist at Community and Public Health, Christchurch

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: Tues 29 Jun 11 am (NZT)
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Statistics New Zealand will release its latest biennial report on Innovation in New Zealand — which gives a snapshot of “business innovation and performance in New Zealand” — this Wednesday, 30 June.

Innovation has become a hot topic in the science sector, reinforced by the announcement of a new Ministry of Science and Innovation, and the launch of a major strategy document. Scientists are under unprecedented pressure to show how their work will spur economic growth.

What is our track record in innovation like? How do we measure innovation? How does it translate to gains in productivity and wealth?

The Science Media Centre has assembled a panel of experts to discuss these questions, the latest statistics, and broader implications for innovation in the NZ economy ahead of the new report’s release.

LISTEN BACK

Click on the audio players above to hear a recording of the briefing. Registered journalists may log in to the SMC Resource Library to download presenters’ slides.

SPEAKERS

Dr Les Oxley – Professor in Economics, University of Canterbury

Les Oxley is a Professor in the School of Economics and Finance at University of Canterbury, as well as Adjunct Professor at both Curtin University of Technology, Perth and Chiang Mai University, Thailand. He is also Associate Researcher, BRCSS-Network, New Zealand and Affiliate, MOTU, Wellington, New Zealand. His current research interests include: defining and measuring the ‘knowledge economy’ in New Zealand and measuring the effects of innovation on the New Zealand economy.

Dr Shaun Hendy – Deputy Director, MacDiarmid Institute; IRL / VUW

Shaun Hendy is a theoretical physicist, who works at Industrial Research Ltd and Victoria University of Wellington where he leads a research team in nanotechnology and materials science. In 2010 he was awarded Massey University’s inaugural Distinguished Young Alumni Award for his research in nanotechnology. He is currently Deputy Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, a role which involves him in both science policy and outreach. His ‘A Measure of Science’ blog on sciblogs.co.nz discusses innovation in New Zealand and around the world.

Dr Simona Fabrizi – Senior Lecturer in Economics, Massey University

Dr. Simona Fabrizi is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Massey University, School of Economics & Finance (Albany). She obtained a PhD from both the Toulouse School of Economics and the University of Bologna for research on competition in the telecommunications industry. At present, she is involved in a research project on venture capital, innovation, and intellectual property rights, which has recently been awarded a Fast Start Marsden Grant.

For more information contact the SMC on 04 499-5476 or smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: Thurs 24 June, 10:30 am (NZT)

Did you know that there’s more carbon in the dirt beneath our feet than in the air above our heads?

Soils hold at least twice as much carbon as the atmosphere, and they also store more carbon than the world’s forests and other vegetation combined.

Although soil carbon has been largely ignored in the public discussion of carbon credits and emissions trading, scientists say it shouldn’t be overlooked. Efforts to increase soil carbon can not only reduce emissions, but improve soil quality and agricultural production as well.

In this media background briefing, scientists from the newly-launched New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre will answer:

• What is soil carbon?
• What is its relationship to soil health and agricultural productivity?
• What kind of natural variations exist across different landscapes?
• How do human activities affect soil carbon?
• What is New Zealand’s unique situation?
• Why should we care about it?
• What role is soil carbon likely to play in emissions trading schemes in different parts of the world?

LISTEN TO AUDIO

Click on the players above to hear an audio recording of the briefing.

Registered journalists may also download presenters’ slides from the SMC Resource Library.

SPEAKERS

Dr David Whitehead, Principal Investigator – Soil Carbon Research, NZAGRC; Landcare Research

David leads a research programme with a focus on measuring, modelling and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from terrestrial systems at Landcare Research and he is based at Lincoln. David is also a Principal Investigator for soil carbon research in the newly formed New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre. David has co-authored more than 130 scientific research papers, he has mentored Post Doctoral Fellows and PhD students and he received a certificate acknowledging his contribution to the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 awarded to the IPCC.

Dr Brent Clothier, ScienceGroup Leader – Systems Modelling, Plant & Food Research

Brent Clothier has a BSc (Hons) (1974) from Canterbury University, and a PhD (1977) and DSc (2002) in soil science from Massey University.  Brent is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand, as well as a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Agronomy Society, the New Zealand Soil Science Society, and the American Geophysical Union.  Brent is President of the New Zealand Soil Science Society, and he is the science leader of New Zealand’s comprehensive soils programme SLURI – Sustainable Land Use Research Initiative.

Dr Louis Schipper, Associate Professor, Earth & Ocean Sciences, Waikato University

Louis Schipper teaches soil science at the University of Waikato and conducts research into long-term changes in soil carbon and nitrogen. He is focused on trying to develop strategies that improve environmental performance while  maintaining productive uses of land. He works closely with a range of CRIs and in the NZAGRC on soil related research.  In the last two years, he was elected a fellow of the New Zealand and US Soil Science Societies. He is currently supervising 5 PhD students.

Dr Frank Kelliher, Principal Investigator – Soil Carbon, NZAGRC; Principal Scientist, AgResearch

Frank Kelliher is Principal Scientist at AgResearch and Professor of Soil Science, Lincoln University.  Over 25 years, his research has developed understanding of greenhouse gas emissions and measurement methods.  He has contributed significantly to the development of New Zealand’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions inventories and inventory uncertainty assessment.   Frank is Chair of the soil carbon network, CarbonNet.

For more information, please contact the SMC on (04) 499 5476 or smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz

ONLINE MEDIA BRIEFING: Thurs 10 June, 11 am (NZT)

Over past decades, the drive to discover large new petroleum reserves has pushed drilling into deeper and deeper off-shore waters.

New Zealand is surrounded by deep water basins that have potential to yield substantial petroleum resources. This week’s announcement of the opening of the Raukumara basin to exploration highlights both international interest from industry and the public sector’s efforts to increase NZ’s oil and gas exports.

But with the ongoing failure to stem the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, implications for safety and potential environmental impact of future drilling operations are in the public eye. Is the level of risk from the enormous engineering and technical challenges involved too high?

This Science Media Centre online briefing will delve into the science behind oil and gas prospecting, asking:

• What’s involved in the discovery of petroleum basins?
• How can you tell if an area has potential for oil/gas?
• What’s the interaction between industry and publicly-funded research?
• What are the prospects for deep water drilling in NZ?
• What’s on the horizon?

LISTEN TO AUDIO FROM THE BRIEFING

Registered journalists can log into the Resource Library to download copies of the speakers’ slides

SPEAKERS

Dr Greg Browne – Geologist/ Hydrocarbons Section Manager, GNS Science

Dr Browne oversees the Hydrocarbon Section of GNS Science, ~30 geoscientists engaged in the various aspects of petroleum research. He is trained as a sedimentologist, studying rocks formed from river sediment deposits. He has been with GNS and its previous incarnation, the DSIR, since the early 1980s, working mostly in New Zealand, but also in Australia, the US, Canada, and Antarctica.

Dr Richard Cook – Chief Petroleum Geologist, Crown Minerals

Richard is Chief Petroleum Geologist for the Crown Minerals Section of the Ministry of Economic Development. His professional career has taken him to London, the North Sea, Portugal and Houston. He returned to New Zealand to the NZ Geological Survey (later known as GNS Science). Richard’s current role involves the gathering of seismic and other scientific data to define our unexplored basins.

Dr Rosalind Archer – Petroleum engineer, University of Auckland

Dr Rosalind Archer is a senior lecturer in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland. She holds a BE in Engineering Science from the University of Auckland, and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University. Her research group at the University of Auckland addresses topics in petroleum reservoir engineering, geothermal energy, wind energy, gas hydrates and CO2 sequestration.

Further Information
For more information, or to arrange interviews with panelists, contact the Science Media Centre on tel: 04 499 5476 or email: smc@sciencemediacentre.co.nz.