In 2023, AGMARDT launched an exclusive Collaborative Partnership grant to support transformative initiatives for New Zealand’s food and fibre sector. It’s a grant that aligns with AGMARDT’s strategic commitment to collective efforts that drive meaningful impact.
The Aotearoa Circle is the most recent organisation to receive this grant, with the three-year partnership formalised at The Circle’s end-of-year-hui in Auckland on 20 November.
The partnership builds on nearly four years of work together with AGMARDT, including the Mana Kai initiative and, more recently, the Modern Genetic Technology work delivered in mid-2024.
“During the work done in the Mana Kai Initiative with KPMG, we looked at biotechnology as a possible tool for strengthening the Aotearoa food system,” explains Vicki Watson, Chief Executive for The Circle.
“And we had to consider: If we know this modern genetic technology is out there and it that could potentially help us deal with some of these issues around the twin crises of climate and nature, why aren’t we looking more closely to better understand the opportunities and the risks?”
So, the Aotearoa Circle engaged PWC with part funding from AGMARDT to shape and publish a two-phase report that considers the opportunities and risks that we face in Aotearoa around any potential changes to the regulatory settings governing the use of modern genetic technology.
The report concluded that New Zealand has a fairly conservative regime in terms of the regulations around biotechnology and compared to our trading partners (like Canada and the UK). It acknowledged that the technology has also advanced rapidly, bringing a shift in understanding of risk management and public perception.
The report looks at how New Zealand compares with its trading counterparts and how modern biotechnology could be adapted for our food production system.
Phase One of the report offers several different case study applications of modern genetic technologies, including rapid flowering apple trees with a reduced breeding cycle for higher yields; high CT white clover to lower emissions in cattle; and sterile Douglas-fir trees that could enable extension of plantation forestry without contributing to the wilding conifer problem.
Phase Two of the report is a supporting document, which pulls together the views of a wide range of experts and those with an interest in this area, to outline key actions which will be needed to support a robust process of regulatory decision making.
The report demonstrates what New Zealand could do by applying modern genetic technologies, rather than attempting to define what we should do.
The three-year partnership between AGMARDT and The Aotearoa Circle will continue to deliver similar projects that ask bold questions and provide solutions for some of the biggest challenges the New Zealand food and fibre sector is facing.
From The Circle’s perspective, AGMARDT’s voice is welcome and valued:
“AGMARDT has always been invited into our programmes of work; this partnership is the natural next step in a relationship we’ve built over the years. They have the courage to ask hard questions and really consider what New Zealand needs,” says Vicki. “As a premium partner, they bring a big picture perspective, which means they can help us refine ideas and connect The Circle with relevant parties.”
“We are pleased to add yet another exciting and transformational collaborative partnership to our work programme,” adds AGMARDT General Manager Lee-Ann Marsh.
“Over the next three years, we will be working closely with The Circle, a values-aligned organisation, to help deliver long-term outcomes. We will engage on projects that have relevance for Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and fibre sector in terms of building resiliency while preserving our natural capital for generations to come.”