NZ Catchment Groups Thrive with ‘Source to Sea’ Approach
The most successful catchment groups in NZ are those that have 'a source to sea' approach.
From pasture-based farming systems to biosecurity and environmental stewardship, public investment in research has underpinned out primary industries and shaped our international reputation. But the world has changed, and our science investment system has not kept pace. The reset now under way is not a retreat from the primary sector or the bioeconomy - it is a strategy to future-proof them.
At the heart of the new model is a simple proposition: public science investment must be more deliberate, more focused, and more impactful.
For too long, funding has been spread thinly across many activities, producing excellent science but insufficient national lift. International benchmarking makes the problem clear. New Zealand invests far more of its public R&D budget in agriculture and environmental research than comparable small-advanced economies, while consistently underinvesting in advanced and enabling technologies. That imbalance now constrains productivity growth, diversification, and long-term resilience.
The move to an investment framework guided by strategic goals directly responds to this challenge. Structuring the science system around four clear pillars, including the Primary Industries and Bioeconomy, and Technology for Prosperity, creates clarity and encourages collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and sectors.
Importantly, it reframes advanced technologies such as AI, robotics and synthetic biology, not as competitors to the primary sector, but as multipliers of its future value.
For farmers, foresters, fishers and bio-processors, this matters profoundly. Productivity gains in primary sectors over the next two decades will not come from incremental improvements alone. They will come from deep integration of new genetics and biological tools, precision systems and digital platforms, and data-driven decision-making across the value chain. This includes genetics, on-farm automation, processing, traceability, and access to premium markets.
Rebalancing the system toward these cross-cutting capabilities is an investment in the next generation of food and fibre production.
The proposed funding shifts are also measured and responsible. About $122 million is reallocated over several years - not removed from the system - primarily from mature areas where private capability is strong. Core stewardship science, biosecurity, and environmental protection remain firmly protected.
What changes is the signal: public investment must increasingly back work with clear national relevance, scale potential, and system-wide outcomes. Research that will boost primary sector productivity growth and sustainable wealth creation, for farmers and growers, and all New Zealanders.
Just as important is how the change will be implemented. Rather than blunt cuts or rigid prescriptions, the system will use clear priority signals and flexible funding mechanisms. This allows organisations and researchers time to adapt, encourages innovation, and reduces the risk of unintended capability loss.
The announced 'Ignition' investment fund will further strengthen New Zealand's ability to act on emerging opportunities at speed, including those critical to farmers and growers.
This is about building a science system fit for New Zealand's future. A stronger advanced technology base will lift productivity across the economy, attract international investment, and create high-value jobs. For the primary sector and bioeconomy, it means better tools, greater resilience, and the ability to compete - not just on volume, but on value.
Done well, these changes will ensure that public science investment continues to serve its original purpose: delivering enduring benefit to all New Zealanders, while positioning our most important sectors to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Dr John Roche is the Prime Minister's chief science adviser, and MPI's chief departmental science advisor.
