No images? Click here
Across our food and fibre sector, MPI investment is helping drive productivity, profitability and long‑term resilience. With 133 active projects underway through the Primary Sector Growth Fund (PSGF) and our legacy funds – Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures and Primary Growth Partnership – there’s plenty to share.
This first edition offers a snapshot of our exciting new projects and recent success stories.
Unlocking more value from dairy-beef
A collaboration with New Zealand’s dairy and beef industries is aiming to grow the dairy‑beef sector, create new revenue opportunities for farmers, and strengthen the sustainability of the wider livestock industry. The $20.9 million Dairy Beef Opportunities programme focuses on unlocking the value of dairy calves and lifting their long‑term productivity.
New land use flexibility projects
Six commercial projects announced at Fieldays this month will boost productivity through innovation and more flexible land use. The partnerships cover dairy, sheep and beef, horticulture, forestry, whenua Māori and aquaculture, backed by $59 million in Government funding and $84 million from the sector.
Innovative tech to boost wool returns
A Government-industry partnership will help turn New Zealand strong wool into high value, cutting edge products and lift returns for growers. Through the PSGF, the Government is investing $8 million in a $20 million project led by Wool Source Manufacturing Ltd. The initiative will scale up production of wool-derived particles, powders and pigments for use in products such as inks, 3D printing materials, personal care, bioplastics and textiles.
AI tool to optimise pastoral farming
Kiwi pastoral farmers could soon have access to an AI‑enabled digital assistant to support faster, smarter on‑farm decisions. MPI is backing agritech start‑up Aimer Farming to test and refine its AI tool, AIMER, across hundreds of farms, to help farmers boost productivity, profitability and environmental performance.
Tackling herbicide-resistant weeds
Herbicides are becoming less effective as weeds develop resistance on New Zealand farms. To protect crop production and farm profitability, MPI is supporting a major research effort led by the Foundation for Arable Research. The $2.68 million project brings together growers, scientists and industry groups to develop a new integrated toolkit for weed control.
Scale-up for homegrown bioproducts
Biofertilisers, biopesticides and biostimulants are increasingly important tools for protecting New Zealand’s crops. Last year, BioSouth opened the country’s first dedicated manufacturing facility in Christchurch, helping accelerate local innovation. Support from the PSGF is enabling the company to fast‑track testing, improve processes at the new facility, and advance research into scaling up production.
Red Needle Cast combat
Research is underway to protect New Zealand’s forestry sector by developing a non‑chemical solution to combat Red Needle Cast, a damaging disease affecting radiata pine. With copper spray the only current control tool – and banned in many countries – finding effective alternatives is essential to futureproof the industry.
Photo credit: Emily McLay, BSI
Boost for mussel spat retention
Many juvenile mussels seeded onto long lines drift away before harvest. A Nelson-based project aims to boost mussel spat retention and unlock major growth for New Zealand’s largest aquaculture industry. Supported by the PSGF, the project is testing early‑stage interventions to lift retention rates and accelerate industry growth.
Weighty proof for Southland farmer
Five years into the MPI-backed Informing New Zealand Beef programme, Southland farmer Andrew Law is seeing real results, with data showing his top-performing bull produced calves 9kg heavier at weaning – reinforcing confidence in his breeding decisions.
Puro takes medicinal cannabis to new heights
Since 2022, MPI has backed Puro’s Medicinal Cannabis Playbook programme to develop high‑value medicinal cannabis at commercial scale. Puro now accounts for 92 percent of New Zealand’s medicinal cannabis exports and last year secured a $16 million UK supply deal, the largest of its kind.
Industrial makeover for mussel shell waste
Mussel shell waste from New Zealand’s green-lipped mussel industry could soon become a high‑value industrial ingredient, following MPI‑funded research confirming it can be commercially processed into ground calcium carbonate (GCC). This research marks an important step towards establishing New Zealand’s first commercial mussel‑shell GCC plant, turning an underused waste stream into a valuable input for construction and manufacturing.
Woollen design shines at Wellington's Central Library
The Wellington Central Library building, Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, is now open, and visitors may notice its striking light shades made by Woolkin, a former MPI grant recipient. With support from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, the company tested its Naturesclip material made from New Zealand strong wool – an innovation now being used to create a range of distinctive 3D products.
Laying the groundwork for stink bug defence
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) poses a serious risk to New Zealand’s crops if it ever establishes here. An MPI‑backed project with Plant & Food Research has completed a national baseline survey identifying the parasitoid species already present in New Zealand. This work strengthens our understanding of natural control options and will support future efforts to eradicate or manage BMSB – should it arrive.
Photo credit: Gonzalo Avila
