Landcare Research - Manaaki Whenua

Landcare-Research -Manaaki Whenua

External initiatives

BioBlitz Auckland

BioBlitz Auckland

Landcare Research has voluntarily committed to a number of external initiatives that correspond to our own values, and which enable us to share in best practice of a much wider community.

We are members of:

  • The EEO Trust
  • Business NZ and the Sustainable Business Council (SBC), including CEO membership of the Executive Committee of SBC and Landcare Research acting as GRI data partners with Business NZ
  • Sustainable Business Network
  • New Zealand Green Building Council

We are supporters of:

  • The Public Service Association (PSA)’s Partnerships for Quality approach
  • The Mainstream programme that provides opportunities for people with disabilities
  • Workbridge

We have:

  • ISO 14001 certification for our environmental management system and practices
  • Tertiary accreditation (the highest level) in the Accident Compensation Commission (ACC)’s programme for Workplace Safety Management Practices
  • carboNZeroCertTM certification across all our sites

Our online reporting meets application level A of the GRI Framework (self-assessed)

Formal collaborative research centres

We are also formal partners in several collaborative research centres with universities, other CRIs and sectoral groups:

Outcome 1: Biodiversity

  • The Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity (CBB) with the University of Auckland, including the Joint Graduate School
    www.cbb.org.nz/
  • The Regional Councils’ Biodiversity Forum that prioritises their biodiversity research needs
  • The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), Australia’s largest integrated invasive animal research programme
    www.invasiveanimals.com/
  • The new Southern Temperate Ecosystems Research Network (STERN) with the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity in Chile, the initial focus of which is invasive species
  • The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) that is collating records from biological collections around the world, and Species2000 Catalogue of Life that is creating a valid checklist of the world’s species
    www.gbif.org/
  • Species2000 Catalogue of Life
    www.sp2000.org/

Outcome 2: Land resources

  • The Sustainable Land Use Research Initiative (SLURI) pools soil science expertise across three CRIs to develop new tools for regulators and land managers
  • The Sustainable Land Use Alliance (SLUA) between four CRIs supports a more collaborative and integrated approach to research and capability development
    www.sluri.org.nz
  • The National Land Resource Centre (NLRC) provides a gateway to soil and land data, and will have responsibility for coordinating capability development across SLUA
    www.nlrc.org.nz
  • The Global Soil Map is a worldwide consortium to make a high resolution digital soil map to help manage issues like food production and hunger eradication, climate change, and environmental degradation. We are the Scientific Coordinator of the Oceania Node and lead the Cyber-informatics working group
    www.globalsoilmap.net
  • The New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, an initiative led by Antarctic New Zealand to leverage overseas and philanthropic funding
    http://nzari.aq

Outcome 3: Greenhouse gases

  • The New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) is a partnership of five CRIs, Massey and Lincoln universities, DairyNZ and the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRC)
    www.nzagrc.org.nz/
  • The New Zealand Climate Change Centre (NZCCC) with Victoria University of Wellington, University of Canterbury, Massey University, and many of the CRIs
    www.nzclimatechangecentre.org/
  • The Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases involves more than 30 countries
    www.globalresearchalliance.org/

Outcome 4: Development within environmental limits

  • The New Zealand Life Cycle Management Centre (NZLCMC) with Massey University and three other CRIs
    http://lcm.org.nz/
  • The New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities with University of Otago and five other partners
    http://sustainablecities.org.nz/
  • The New Zealand Sustainable Business Council, which provides business leadership as a catalyst for change towards sustainable development
    www.sbc.org.nz
  • Sustainable Business Council
    www.sbc.org.nz
  • Better Border Security (B3)
    www.b3nz.org

In addition, we are members of several formal research networks and consortia:

  • NeSI – the $48m National e-Science Infrastructure (NeSI) investment by the Government, NIWA and the Universities of Auckland, Canterbury and Otago to build and operate three complementaryhigh-performance-computing facilities
    www.nesi.org,nz
  • Tuakiri – the New Zealand Access Federation service for member universities and CRIs, provides a framework for simplifying controlled access to NeSI and other shared resources
  • NzOnet — a network of nitrous oxide researchers from four CRIs, Lincoln University and DairyNZ
  • Methanet — a framework of methane researchers from four CRIs, Lincoln University, Massey University and DairyNZ.
  • CarbonNet — a network of soil carbon researchers from five CRIs and three universities

Professional contribution of individuals

Our science and staff support national responsibilities relating to international conventions and agreements (e.g. the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Kyoto Protocol) and national strategies, policies and plans (e.g. Biodiversity Strategy, Bovine Tuberculosis Pest Management Strategy, regional pest management plans).

Many of our staff contribute professionally through roles with scientific organisations, panels and advisory bodies:

  • 10 staff hold 16 directorships or board memberships
  • 57 staff (including research associates) hold 66 positions in professional societies (9 Fellows)
  • 57 staff held 129 positions on national and international advisory boards, technical groups and review panels
  • 38 of our senior scientists (including research associates) hold 81 positions on the editorial boards of scientific journals.