Auckland University PhD candidate Gillean Miller won the best student presentation prize at the inaugural New Zealand Wine Centre Scientific Research Conference late last year, capturing attention and accolades for her research into the biogenesis of gamma-nonalactone during winemaking. She shares some insights into her work and its importance to the wine industry.

In Braden Crosby’s many years as a winemaker and viticulturist in the Wairarapa, he enjoyed the mix of practical, applied research at Grape Days events, “with a little blue sky added for future reference”.

New Zealand's wine industry is “severely lacking in any diversity”, says the head of a research programme working to secure a repository of grapevine genetics, including disease resistant vines.

Harvesters weighing fruit in situ, digital dashboards with real time data, live map scheduling, and a sonic bird scarer cruising on a robot.

Have your say in 2024

In this biosecurity article, I touch on four subjects of recent interest: the new New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) Biosecurity Contractor Resources, a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug update, a Xylella Action Group update, and the Forest Biosecurity Conference.

Following the New Zealand government’s introduction of Freshwater Farm Planning regulations last August, local authorities are now activating them on a region-by-region basis out to the end of 2025.

Recently I have been studying inversion patterns during cold nights across parts of inland Australia.

The new year signals with the hum of activity ramping up on the vineyard and in the winery, as vintage 2024 gets underway.

When a biosecurity incursion is identified, many things need to be done very quickly in order to stop the spread and eradicate a new invasive pest or disease before populations grow to a level where eradication is no longer a feasible option.