Science Media Centre

‘Next generation’ tools for the control of pests in New Zealand were unveiled yesterday at the opening of the The Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation. The Centre was officially opened yesterday by Dr Nick Smith, Minister for the Environment, bringing together researchers from universities, Crown Research Institutes (CRIs) and private companie. New pest control [...]

In the New Zealand Herald, businessman and philanthropist Owen Glenn writes about getting the most out of innovation in Kiwi research. Excerpts (read in full here): Let’s sow the seeds for real growth I’m not one who favours either/or situations. They tend to limit possibilities and the imagination. Consequently I’m a little perturbed by what [...]

In an article published in the Dominion Post , environmental author Mark Lynas explains why mankind must embrace technologies like nuclear power and geo-engineering if we are to survive the ‘age of the human’. The article, syndicated from the UK paper The Telegraph, is derived from Lynas’ upcoming book The God Species: How the Planet [...]

On Thursday the government will announce their 2011 budget for New Zealand. The New Zealand Herald‘s Hamish Fletcher caught up with some of the R&D sector’s major players to get an idea of what the budget might hold for Kiwi high-tech research. An excerpt (read in full here): Budget 2011: Little hope of R&D increase [...]

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released a report which suggests New Zealand should focus on producing and exporting technology which will counter green house gases from farming. The OECD’s Economic Survey of New Zealand, in addition to recommending the introduction of a capital gains tax and raising the retirement age, has [...]

Three-dimensional laser scans of the shattered cliff faces of Christchurch’s seaside suburbs are helping scientists work out if any more rocks are likely to fall. Radio New Zealand’s science reporter Will Hine caught up with GNS surveyor Garth Archibald in Sumner to see how they work. You can listen to the interview here.

Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, one of New Zealand’s top experts in nanotechnology and magnetic resonance imaging, has been named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year for 2011. The award recognises Callaghan’s commitment to science, its communication, and connecting it with technology and business. Media coverage: Dom Post: Scientist and man of vision NZer of the [...]

TechNZ will be funding an Auckland-based firm to the tune of $4.4 million to research advanced cyber security. The fund will cover half of the costs of product developments in the next two years. An excerpt: (read in full here) “Research, Science and Technology Minister Wayne Mapp said today the firm, Endace Ltd, was emerging [...]

Looking at the use by farmers of GPS and RFID, a local researcher has found that despite the productivity gains offered by such technologies, many farmers are not investing in them. An excerpt: (read in full here) “GPS-based devices such as TracMap are used by farm contractors to gain higher productivity and efficiency in cultivating, [...]

An article in the New Zealand Herald profiles some of the Kiwi companies who are developing interesting technologies – from simple bacteria-testing, to ways of doing multiple tests on one drop of blood, to an improved tissue substitute for wounds. An excerpt: (read in full here) Matakina – Ralph Highnam It was Ralph Highnam’s professor [...]