Love for the tiny things key to solving the big problems   | Bioprotection Aotearoa Ashleigh Mosen has a passion for the little things in life; whether they’re fungal pathogens, their effector proteins, or altering gene expression with RNAi gene silencing technology. Luckily for our ...

Tiny (bio)discoveries can have BIG impacts.

Enter Ashleigh Mosen, a PhD student at Massey University, researching solutions to apple scab fungus - solutions at the molecular level derived from host-pathogen protein interactions. bioprotection.org.nz/love-for-the...

@salenes-a.bsky.social

Tracing narratives of pestiness and weediness into the past | Bioprotection Aotearoa Throughout my life, I have always been interested in history. In my previous work researching public services in Aotearoa, I focused on interrogating the processes and practices that occurred in...

In earlier times, who decided what counted as a pest?

Dr Schloffel-Armstrong (Lincoln University) is digging into archival narratives from 1825 to 1925 on Horomaka Banks Peninsula to find out, and explore what those early decisions mean for bioprotection today: bioprotection.org.nz/tracing-narr...

Our February pānui is here! This newsletter, we spotlight forward-thinking bioprotection solutions. Read the full newsletter: mailchi.mp/lincoln.ac.n...

The Arrival of the Yellow-legged Hornet – Why Incursion Communication Needs to Change | Bioprotection Aotearoa Biological incursions are the gift that keeps on giving. One of the latest gifts is the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), discovered in Auckland in late October. This hornet is like...

To what extent is communication integrated into Aotearoa New Zealand’s biosecurity system?

Professor Amanda Black @whenua.bsky.social reflects on the biosecurity response to the yellow-legged hornet incursion: bioprotection.org.nz/the-arrival-...

Pacific voices on the future of climate resilience in the Pacific Nations. Reaction to COP30 in Belém: Whose narrative was the loudest? | Bioprotection Aotearoa The recent COP30 summit delivered a stark warning to Pacific Island nations: global climate diplomacy is failing them. With over 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists swarming the talks and outnumbering vulnerable...

For Pacific researchers, the future of climate resilience is Pacific-led.

Dr Suli Vunibola, Mesu Tora, and Patrick Fong react to COP30 in Belém, imagining a different future where "Pacific people, communities and ecological relationality sit at the heart of climate resilience."

zurl.co/uZZ6L

Healthy soil is at the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand, supporting communities, agriculture, and economy. Read more about Alana's research: bioprotection.org.nz/researc...

Join Alana Thurston next week for a PhD seminar on soil health and resilience to degradation in the agricultural landscape of Te Kaha.

📍 9 February, 12:00-1:00PM
📍 Waimarie, Room Inaka
📍 Lincoln University or online: zurl.co/ke9ZS

More Than Just Talks | Bioprotection Aotearoa I have been attending scientific conferences since I started my post-graduate degrees over a decade ago. For me, conferences are one of the highlights of being a researcher. They are...

Boring or bonding?

For Dr Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu, conferences are more than just talks. They're opportunities to connect, with both people and place, that shape both science and the scientist.

See her advice on making the most of conference season: zurl.co/ANsRX

Te Māhuri scholarship, supporting future bioprotection leaders | Bioprotection Aotearoa Four aspiring scientists, Toby De Silva, Mannat Kaur, Owen Hulme and Taisia Afanasyeva, graduated from Bioprotection Aotearoa’s Te Māhuri Scholarship programme for secondary students after eight days immersed in science...

Big research journeys start earlier than people realise...

Secondary students Toby, Taisia, Mannat, and Owen graduated from the Te Māhuri Scholarship late last year after an eight day immersion in Mātauranga Māori and bioprotection science.

Read about their experience: zurl.co/1Ocdt

Understanding spillover of pests and enemies between crops | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Helping farmers boost efficiency, meet Masters student Tim Logan 👋

Tim is creating a model to predict how crop placement drives abundance of crop pests and pest enemies for sustainable pest management.

Read about Tim's work in Professor Tylianakis's lab: zurl.co/uJJo4

Q&A with Tere Porter-Rawiri | Bioprotection Aotearoa Three Bioprotection Aotearoa Masters students graduated recently and have joined the work force. Here’s what Tere Porter-Rawiri has to say about what she accomplished during her Masters and what she’s...

Tere Porter-Rawiri recently completed her Masters with Bioprotection Aotearoa investigating fungal diversity and the relationships Māori have with fungi. Her research offers insight into restoration practices that better align with te ao Māori. Read her reflection on her Masters accomplishments.

I have argued from time to time that our country's understanding of biosecurity and ecological context shapes the way we can discuss issues as a country- what things make sense to talk about because there is a common understanding.

Fig. 1 Lotka–Volterra models of two noninteracting plant populations (native and invasive), with the invasive species arriving at time point 800 (grey vertical dashed lines).

✨ Paper spotlight ✨

(🧵 1/6) When the novelty wears off: enemy escape does not explain invasion success
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Q&A with Pearl Ruston | Bioprotection Aotearoa Three Bioprotection Aotearoa Masters students graduated recently and have joined the work force. Here’s what Pearl Ruston has to say about what she accomplished during her Masters and what she’s...

Pearl Ruston recently completed her Masters with BA and has joined the Horizons Regional Council as a Wetland Ecologist. Pearl investigated nitrogen pools and fluxes in wetlands, research that will help in wetland restoration.

Read her reflection on her Masters: zurl.co/fpbm2

Under the Lens Podcast | Bioprotection Aotearoa

Soft launching our new podcast series - Under the Lens 🎙️

This is our pilot series… warming up the mics, dusting off the pipettes and pulling together the crew for something new.

Its part science, part 80’s nostalgia and all about what keeps our ecosystems thriving.

Awesome weedy discussion with my phenomenal award winning hoamahi Margaret (with the fab Peter, Amanda and Nick) - our natives need more PR, and let's all be on the lookout for newbies!

Under the Lens Ep05 | Weeds hidden in plain sight YouTube video by Bioprotection Aotearoa

This was a fun chat with the Bioprotection Aotearoa team about everything weeds! What's the issue & what can we do about it? So many weeds & so little money! @bioprotection.bsky.social 🌏🧪🌐🌿#invasive #weeds

Under the Lens Podcast | Bioprotection Aotearoa

We made a podcast for @bioprotection.bsky.social Have a look if you are interested in all things that start with b, Nick singing 80's songs or, perhaps more importantly, why and how to save the planet. bioprotection.org.nz/under-the-le...

Bioprotection Futures Research Gets Underway | Bioprotection Aotearoa Bioprotection Futures (Project 1 in Pou Titirangi) is focused on understanding the social-political dimensions of bioprotection in Aotearoa New Zealand. Co-led by Dr Sylvia Nissen and Dr Marc Tadaki, ...

🌱 What does SOCIAL SCIENCE in BIOPROTECTION look like in Aotearoa?

Our new research team is exploring the social-political dimensions of how we protect ecosystems, communities, and the futures we care about.

👥 Meet the team, discover our vision, and see where we’re headed next 👋🏽

Fridge to Freedom | Bioprotection Aotearoa You may have recently read about the Department of Conservation spending around $100,000 per year for the past 4 years to house and manage snails. Now, these aren’t just any...

Ned the snail got a dating campaign 🐌💔 … but he’s not even from Aotearoa.

Meanwhile our endangered taonga the Powelliphanta augusta snail are in containers fighting for survival.

From fridge to freedom — a story on how we value biodiversity, by @whenua.bsky.social + @peterkdearden.bsky.social

Mad for microbes, mātauranga and maire tawake | Bioprotection Aotearoa Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu (Ngāti Uepōhatu, Ngāti Porou, Te Ātiawa, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāpuhi) has been with Bioprotection Aotearoa (BA) since before it was born. After initially completing her Master’s...

REGISTER HERE | bioprotection.org.nz/rangahau-ris...

Mad for microbes, mātauranga and maire tawake | Bioprotection Aotearoa Hanareia Ehau-Taumaunu (Ngāti Uepōhatu, Ngāti Porou, Te Ātiawa, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāpuhi) has been with Bioprotection Aotearoa (BA) since before it was born. After initially completing her Master’s...

Her WEBINAR is TODAY! There is still time to register. @hanareiaehau.bsky.social shares her journey from urgent calls about dying trees to PROTECTING the resilience of MAIRE TAWAKE.

READ her story below - JOIN her live today - catch her ON DEMAND tomorrow.

bioprotection.org.nz/mad-for-micr...

Braided rivers need protection for their terrestrial biodiversity too | Bioprotection Aotearoa We often think of braided rivers as physical matter and hydraulic force, with gravel-filled channels shifting their way downstream and across the braidplain, occasionally bursting their banks and wash...

BRAIDED RIVERS are more than water. Between the braids are islands of BIODIVERSITY that need PROTECTION. Some of us take these spaces for granted. Others know what’s at stake.

PhD student Jazmynn Hodder-Swain shares her first BLOG POST — a reflection on responsibility and care.

Can leaf MICROBES help protect MAIRE TAWAKE from MYRTLE RUST? In our next Rangahau Rising kōrero @hanareiaehau.bsky.social shares research into the microbiome of this endangered tree and what it could mean for forest resilience in Aotearoa
Wed 20 Aug | 12–1 PM | Zoom
🔗 Register: tinyurl.com/25x2jwae

Country Life: Nick Roskruge - promoting Māori horticultural knowledge Nick Rahiri Roskruge's work in agriculture and soil science have taken him far afield, looking at crops sustaining indigenous communities.

Professor Nick Roskruge: A lifetime of learning, growing, and giving back 🌱 and a researcher with BA.

Listen to Nick's kōrero with RNZ Country Life as he shares his journey promoting Māori horticultural knowledge and championing taiao-centred approaches to soil and food.

tinyurl.com/mv5cbytu

Rooted in the Pacific, Responding to the World | Bioprotection Aotearoa Beneath the beauty lies urgency. Coastlines, villages, and treasured waters of the Pacific face rising risks. The ICJ’s climate ruling is a call for global accountability to protect places like...

For these Pacific researchers, the ICJ’s climate ruling hits close to home. It’s about the coastlines they grew up on, the land their families still care for, and the futures they’re working to protect.

Read their response 🌺 zurl.co/vNKWq

Serious about science. Even better at backing each other.

Check out one of their #AppleScab projects currently underway 👇
bioprotection.org.nz/research/und...

The Māori values that make good sense in science The Indigenous beliefs underpinning soil chemist Amanda Black's approach could deliver a more inclusive research culture, she says. The Indigenous beliefs underpinning soil chemist Amanda Black's approach could deliver a more inclusive research culture, she says.

Recognised as a changemaker, our Director, Professor Amanda Black opens a brand-new series from the Nature podcast team — and how science, Indigenous knowledge, and leadership can shape the future of our ecosystems.

🎧 Listen now: zurl.co/aV3mu

Bioprotection Aotearoa on Instagram: "Bioprotection. Sounds important — but what does it actually mean? One of our interns grabbed a camera and started asking questions. The result? Muddy boots, big ideas, and a fresh take on the science behind protecting Aotearoa’s ecosystems. 🎥 Watch the reel. Timed nicely with #BiosecurityWeek — but entirely intern-driven curiosity." 9 likes, 0 comments - bioprotection_nz on July 21, 2025: "Bioprotection. Sounds important — but what does it actually mean? One of our interns grabbed a camera and started asking questions. The result? Muddy boots, big ideas, and a fresh take on the science behind protecting Aotearoa’s ecosystems. 🎥 Watch the reel. Timed nicely with #BiosecurityWeek — but entirely intern-driven curiosity.".

BIOPROTECTION. Sounds important — but what does it actually mean? 🤔 One of our interns grabbed a camera and started asking questions. The result?

🎥 Watch the reel. Timed nicely with #BiosecurityWeek — but entirely intern-driven curiosity.
zurl.co/acfQy