| Research activity 2015/16 Key Achievements |
Core Funding Investment ($M excl GST) |
| |
2015/16 (planned) |
2015/16 (actual) |
| Supporting Business and Policy |
$0.77 |
$0.73 |
| End-users: Auckland Council; DOC; Environment Southland; MfE; MPI; Greater Wellington Regional Council; Environmental Defence Society; MBIE; Taranaki Regional Council; SCION; AgResearch; NIWA; Beef+Lamb; HortNZ; StatsNZ; OSPRI; Northland Regional Council; Other Regional Councils; Royal Society of New Zealand; Tasman District Council; researchers; community groups; Māori and other New Zealanders; primary industries and sector groups; businesses; export industries; Natural Resource Sector. Beef + Lamb. |
| Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Decision-making – Outcomes 1, 2 and 4 |
N/A |
$0.38 |
- Supported the Business Growth Agenda’s new Land Productivity focus and ‘Export Double’ targets by linking export data through the value chain to specific farm commodities and enterprises. The connections were converted to flow diagrams linking primary sector output to value added goods and trade.
- The LUMASS modelling platform was further developed to better support the modelling and analysis of ecosystem changes and processes and to enable general interoperability with external models and tools, e.g. NZFARM and ARLUNZ. In particular, the following functionality was added to the LUMASS modelling framework:
- multi-layer combinatorial analysis of large grids (e.g. ecosystem change analysis)
- generic model component for the integration of external executables into LUMASS models (e.g. NZFARM, ARLUNZ)
- generic model component for the development of cellular automata (neighbourhood) based models (e.g. pest and weed spread, terrain analysis, hydrological modelling)
- Published in Policy Quarterly on how best to preserve NZ’s natural heritage, recommending that tax reform is a policy response that begins to integrate fiscal and environmental policy, and a land-use tax could provide a stronger incentive to conserve nature in NZ. At present, the interventions to preserve NZ’s natural heritage are not sufficient to halt ongoing loss. This provided the conceptual basis for alternative policy approaches to reduce the environmental impact of land-use decisions. Waikato Regional Council used this research to explore alternative approaches to their rates system.
|
| Policy, Values and Governance – Outcomes 2,3 and 4 |
N/A |
$0.35 |
- Identified, using our nationally unique ‘Rural Decision-Maker’ survey data, the characteristics of rural ‘innovators’ and ‘connectors’, and the characteristics of individuals who trust environmental information provided by local government. The findings of this work have been of high interest to various regional councils and NRS agencies such as MPI, MfE, and StatsNZ. Understanding what drives land-use decisions is key to assessing the likely impact of new resource management policies and regulation on both farmer behaviour and the environment. MPI and MfE reported the survey results to their Ministers, and there was very strong interest online from across the primary sector.
- Updated the databases that underpin the Integrated Assessment Model CLiMAT-DGE to reflect the most up-to-date global trade data. This enabled us to improve the modelling of the effects of the 2015 Paris Agreements on New Zealand’s economy and GHG emissions, and was used to assess the implication of post-2020 climate policy scenarios. These updates ensure that the modelling capability is available for any additional analysis that may be needed for future climate policy decisions where international trade implications need to be quantified.
- Conducted a choice experiment with land managers and councillors in New Zealand, presenting the first robust evidence of the effect of presenting monetary values to decision-makers faced with a complex, multi-value choice. Our results indicate that monetary values stimulate pro-development choices and, all else being equal, strengthen aversion to environmental degradation. This built new relationships with the University of Wisconsin (US) and University of Waikato.
- Provided a book chapter for a UK publisher on sustainable stormwater management in Auckland, NZ, and included our development of Wynyard Quarter as a case study of an international, award-winning brownfields development. Our research increases knowledge of how people interact with green infrastructure, and is now being disseminated to international and local audiences.
- Analysis of the protection of urban trees in Auckland was used to support hearings evidence in support of stronger protection rules for urban trees in the Auckland Unitary Plan hearings.
- Investigated the efficiency and equity implications of several approaches to allocating nutrient discharges in two NZ watersheds. The analysis informed policy options being developed by the Crown for fresh water, helping senior Ministers and iwi leaders to understand the impacts of various allocation options, including how the initial allocation of diffuse contaminant discharges can be made in a manner consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi while achieving the greatest economic value from freshwater resources. Provided a policy brief to key decision-makers, including the Land and Water Forum.
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