Supporting trade
This research area supports trade by enabling business, production and tourism industries to understand and meet community expectations and market demands for environmental responsibility and sustainable practices. Our approach links the economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects of business performance. The ability of businesses to understand their own performance, manage and where appropriate to report it publicly, is becoming increasingly important for market access and community licence to operate. The integrity of responses to such challenges is widely seen as critical to the New Zealand brand.
The research includes our important research on bovine TB control, which is a trade compliance issue for New Zealand’s animal industry. (AHB’s mission is to eradicate TB from wild vector species across 2.5 million hectares or one quarter of TB risk areas by 2026, and eventually eradicate the disease entirely, to increase New Zealand’s competitive in overseas food markets.) Also included is work on trade policy impacts, market developments in respect of sustainability and green growth, and our support to businesses implementing environmental management and reporting systems.
This research area partners with Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit at Lincoln University, whose track record and expertise in global trade developments, environmental footprinting and economics strongly complements our own. Other key research partners include the University of Chicago and the Argonne National Laboratory’s Computation Institute (global change and trade); Lincoln University (agribusiness); AHB and University of Otago (sustaining TB freedom); and Massey University (the Life Cycle Management Centre).
Research priority areas:
- TB freedom
- Production pests & environment compensation
- Risk & environmental limits
- Export competitiveness