From the President

I want to reiterate a point made in the last newsletter that it is up to each of us as members of NZIAHS to encourage our younger scientist colleagues to join and participate in the Institute’s activities. The Institute works hard to profile and celebrate excellence and achievement in agricultural and horticultural science and to provide opportunities for our members and your staff to participate in and profile their work. See the call for nominations for awards below.

The Gene Technology Bill is moving slowly though the system. Last month (February) I was invited to speak at the Parliamentary Science Forum.  The topic presented was “Genetic Modification and non-Genetic Modification Co-Existence in the New Zealand context”.  The forum was attended by more than 30 Members of Parliament, along with a number of invited guests.

The MPs engaged with the topic, with questions coming from across multiple political party representatives.  I concluded with the comment – “GM technologies, like many non-GM technologies, can bring risks, but these are monitored and quantified, allowing decisions to be made about commercial, societal and environmental benefits versus real risks. What is needed? An open evidence-based debate involving society, plus industry and political leaders about benefits and risks of GM technologies.”

I am not sure that is happening as well as it should be.

Recently Farmers Weekly highlighted that “EU’s imminent embrace of gene-edited crops threatens to leave New Zealand a science laggard” based on an interview with Revel Drummond (from the Bioeconomy Science Institute). This was picked up by the Science Literacy Project (an online news feed on a range of pertinent science topics) with the following summary and picture – perhaps all too true!

“The European Union is poised to make changes to allow gene editing technology in mid-May that, if passed, would put New Zealand out of step with its major trading partners on the technology’s use, says a leading researcher.

“The proposal, which still must be formally ratified, is to move away from the trade bloc’s previously strict blanket ban on the use of gene editing to a more selective science-based approach, albeit with some political considerations

“The unexpected progress in the EU’s regulations come as NZ’s own genetic technology Bill remains stalled in Parliament, thanks to NZ First unexpectedly withholding its support for the Bill, subject to major changes.

“If we don’t change our own GE laws, we won’t be able to trade freely under the [free trade agreement]. We are doing ourselves a disservice,” [said Dr. Revel Drummond, a plant and food molecular biologist.]”

Congratulations

Kris Kramer-Walter has been selected to represent New Zealand in the Three Minute Horticultural Thesis competition at the 32nd International Horticultural Congress, to be held later this year in Kyoto, Japan. The national selection award carries a prize of $500, with a further international pre-selection stage to be held ahead of the competition finals at the congress.

Kris has been completing his PhD part-time since 2019 while working at Plant & Food Research / the Bioeconomy Science Institute, and submitted his thesis in February 2026.

His research investigated within-vine variability in fruit quality in ‘Zesy002’ kiwifruit vines. As part of the study, the full population of fruit from nine vines (around 10,000 fruit) was harvested and mapped, recording fruit position, shoot characteristics, and several other predictor variables. Analysis identified several strong predictors of fruit fresh weight and dry matter content, including fruit order within shoots, timing of flowering, and shoot length. These findings can help inform management practices aimed at reducing variability within commercial crops.

Additional work in the thesis examined carbohydrate storage and mobilisation patterns in canes of differing vigour across multiple kiwifruit cultivars, and explored novel methods for delivering exogenous sucrose to vines in order to supplement carbohydrate availability independently of photosynthesis.

Kris received $2,000 from the New Zealand Horticultural Science Advancement Trust towards his travel expenses.

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2026 NZIAHS Awards Calling for Nominations Closing date 31st May 2026 Nominations and applications are being called for NZIAHS’s array of annual awards

Jubilee Medal our premier award, is awarded to a member to recognise an outstanding contribution to primary resource science NZIAHS Fellow to recognise NZIAHS members who have given outstanding service to agricultural or horticultural science. Emerging Scientist Award to recognise significant achievement and outstanding contribution by an emerging scientist dedicated to research and science leadership in the promotion of agriculture and horticulture. Postgraduate Award to encourage and assist postgraduate research scientists in either the latter stages of their PhD or in the first year of a Postdoctoral research position to attend and present their research at an international conference. Grasslanz Knowledge & Technology Transfer Award to recognise and reward achievement and excellence in knowledge and technology transfer in agriculture and horticulture. The full list of our awards can be found HERE.