Best The New Zealand Institute for Plant Podcasts (2024)

1
PPF: Exploring agritech with Brendan O’Connell

17h ago

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In this episode of People | Planet | Food, Roger Robson-Williams speaks with Brendan O’Connell, Chief Executive of AgritechNZ, to discuss the role of agritech in creating a healthier, fairer, and more environmentally friendly food system. Brendan shares his perspective on what agritech is, how it can help, and how AgritechNZ supports a diverse rang…

1
SLFM: Dion Mundy: new tech for the vine doctor

12d ago

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New technologies are essential in helping scientists and growers combat vine diseases in vineyards. This week, podcaster and data scientist Tom Moore interviews vine doctor Dion Mundy about his latest research on plant disease monitoring, disease identification, and modelling for future climate changes. Dion was one of our first interviews on Scige…

1
FTS: Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest flume tank

15d ago

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Plant & Food Research's Nelson site is home to Aotearoa New Zealand's largest flume tank, an innovative facility that allows scientists to test and develop new technologies in both simulated open ocean and controlled laboratory environments. In this week's podcast, Julie Blommaert sits down with fellow scientists Suzy Black and Louise Kregting to d…

1
PPF: Future-Fit: Navigating Sustainability with Martin Rich

1M ago

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In this episode of the People | Planet | Food podcast series, host Roger Robson-Williams talks to Martin Rich, a former investment banker turned Chief Executive of the UK’s Future-Fit Foundation. Martin shares his journey from international finance to earth systems science and doughnut economics and explains why he now leads a sustainability charit…

1
PPF: Food. Who's helping?

1M ago

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What would it take to make the global food system healthier, fairer, and more environmentally restorative? Hi, I am Roger Robson-Williams, Chief Sustainability Officer at Plant & Food Research. I am delighted to start my People | Planet | Food series in conversation with two remarkable leaders from opposite sides of the planet working on exactly th…

1
SLFM: Roger Robson-Williams: A man on a mission

2M ago

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Roger Robson-Williams, Chief Sustainability Officer at Plant & Food Research, joins Scigest podcast host Rebecca Bloomer to discuss his scientific journey and interest in the future prosperity of food production in Aotearoa. In their conversation, Roger introduces his upcoming podcast, People, Planet, Food, which will feature discussions with indiv…

1
SLFM: Dr James Sainsbury - Buzzworthy science

2M ago

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Working with bees, and in local body politics means you are always at risk of being stung at some stage, but that hasn’t stopped our latest guest, apiculture scientist Dr James Sainsbury taking up the challenge. In this podcast Andrew Dare speaks to James, who specialises in honey bee health and pollination, about his interesting and diverse career…

1
SITK: The New Zealand Food Composition Database

3M ago

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Knowing what’s in the food you consume is important – to help with that, scientists at Plant & Food Research are responsible for managing a database containing more than 2,700 foods commonly consumed in Aotearoa. In this episode we hear more about what the New Zealand Food Composition Database is and how to use it from Dr Carolyn Lister, leader of …

1
FTS: Mobile aquaculture

3M ago

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New Zealand’s ocean space is many times larger than our land area and presents an enormous opportunity to expand into sustainable open ocean aquaculture for finfish and shellfish. In this week’s podcast, Julie Blommaert speaks to scientist Suzy Black about mobile aquaculture, an innovative new system for farming fish that has massive potential for …

1
SLFM: Dr Andrew Allan: A life in genes

4M ago

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Today on Scigest, we speak to Dr Andrew Allan, Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. Andy was recently elected as a Fellow to the Academy of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in recognition of more than 30 years of research in plant genetics, and has featured on th…

1
SIS: Crossing Borders: Embracing A Science Career in New Zealand

5M ago

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From language barriers to cultural adjustments, international students and professionals face unique challenges when relocating to a new country to pursue their science careers. In this podcast episode, Jay Jayaraman, hailing from Fiji, chats with fellow scientists Luna Hasna from Bangladesh, Liz Florez from Peru, and Tina Wang from China. Together…

1
SLFM: Jolon Dyer: From introvert to science leader

6M ago

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Science careers can take many paths, some planned and some not. This week Tom Moore speaks to Jolon Dyer who is the GM Science Services at Plant & Food Research about his fascinating science journey from working on innovative cancer drug research, to teaching English in Japan, to then looking at the science around wool fibres before moving into lea…

1
SLFM: Dr David Teulon Biosecurity and beyond

6M ago

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Today on Scigest we speak to Dr David Teulon - an entomologist and Principal Scientist at Plant & Food Research. During his 30-plus year career in science, Dr Teulon has championed sustainable pest management and biosecurity research through his efforts as a researcher and in his role as the Director of Better Border Biosecurity or B3. In 2023 Davi…

1
BIOSECURITY: Fresh findings on beneficial insects

6M ago

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Scientists studying the pollination of native plants have been surprised by the large number of insect visitors contributing to pollination, which bodes well for those planting native species on their farms. This week podcaster and scientist Dr Tom Moore speaks to Entomologist Brad Howlett who provides an update on this research project. The resear…

1
SLS: Working with wētā

7M ago

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In Marlborough’s Awatere Valley ground wētā are a common sight on some vineyards, burrowing in soft irrigated soil beneath the vines. Winemakers are keen to find ways to co-exist with this taonga species, including looking for sustainable solutions that could help prevent wētā from feasting on the tender foliage on grape vines during the crucial sp…

1
SB: Starfish powered skincare

7M ago

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Scientists are working to find to a use for 1000s of unwanted starfish, which have been decimating mussel beds in Bay of Plenty’s Ōhiwa Harbour. In partnership with mana whenua, research institutes Waikato University, the Cawthron Institute and Plant & Food Research are working on a project that involves harvesting the starfish and using them to pr…

1
SITK: The future urban consumer

8M ago

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When developing new food technologies and farming systems, it is critical to consider consumer attitudes towards these technologies. Plant & Food Research’s Future Urban Consumer programme has been digging deeper into how consumers in both New Zealand and our overseas export markets think and feel about different emerging food technologies, and the…

1
SLFM: Cultivating Innovation: 45 Years of Transforming Horticulture with Dr Jim Walker

9M ago

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Over his 45-year career, Dr Jim Walker has driven significant change in the horticultural sector, using his scientific expertise to develop innovative tools and techniques for managing pests and diseases, which have helped position Aotearoa New Zealand as a competitive and top-quality fruit-growing nation. Scigest host Rebecca Bloomer talks to Jim …

1
SLFM: Alex Leonard: charting a new course

9M ago

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Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of marine science with Phd scientist Alex Leonard and new Scigest podcast host, Julie Blommaert. Learn how Alex's journey into marine science paved the way for her current work on fish collagen.This is Julie Blommaert's debut epsiode as a host of Scigest podcast! Based at our seafood science site in Nel…

1
FTL: Recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle

9M ago

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Cyclone Gabrielle was a devastating event that caused widespread damage to the pipfruit growing region of the Hawkes Bay. Today Rebecca Bloomer speaks to scientist Jim Walker and research orchard manager Peter Welch about the short and long term effects of the cyclone to our orchards and the whole industry. To view our full catalogue of podcasts in…

1
SLFM: New materials for new beginnings

10M ago

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In this episode we meet Dr. Roshan Khadka, who is working on a new way to power wearable health devices. Roshan's science journey started in his hometown of Kathmandu, Nepal before a PhD funded by Plant & Food Research led him to the University of Auckland in 2015. His work on sensor development contributed to the success of Plant & Food Research s…

1
SLFM: Beyond the desk – making an impact through science leadership

10M ago

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In this Scigest episode we speak to Plant & Food Research’s new chief executive, Mark Piper. Mark joined the organisation three months ago after a 30 year stint at Fonterra, where he held leadership roles locally and in the US and Japan. Mark shares a bit about his background, his journey into science leadership as well as his first impressions of …

1
SLFM: Diving into seafood science

11M ago

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In this podcast episode we meet Julie Bloomaert, a Post-doctoral Scientist at Plant & Food Research. Julie works in the Seafood Production group - with a background in biology and genetics she's aiming to improve snapper for aquaculture by understanding and utilizing their genetic traits. Julie's scientific curiosity was partly sparked by a field t…

1
SLFM: Moving forwards no matter the hurdles

12M ago

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A journey into a science career can be fraught with many challenges along the way. Today we speak to Luna Hasna about her inspiring and multi hurdled journey - from a young girl in Bangladesh with a passion for science, to getting married and moving to Aotearoa New Zealand and how owning and running a kebab shop in Auckland eventually led to her dr…

1
SIS: Finding Funding for ECR's

12M ago

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Early Career Researchers (ECRs) struggle to fund their research. With very few funding opportunities within New Zealand and high competition for them, most ECRs feel unprepared and uninformed about how and where to find funding at this critical stage of their careers. This episode aims to highlight funding opportunities in Aotearoa, with a specific…

1
FTL: Indoor farming - future or fad?

1y ago

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Indoor farming might be part of the solution to the global food security crisis, but how ready are we for this change in the way we produce fruit and vegetables? Scigest host Rebecca Bloomer sits down with Samantha Baldwin to chat about the highs and lows of indoor and vertical farming, what challenges this ‘new’ type of farming still faces, and wh…

1
ID: A legacy of international impact

1y ago

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Plant Pathologist Dr Bob Fullerton has improved horticulture and changed lives in developing countries for nearly 50 years.Bob sat down with Scigest while he was back in Aotearoa New Zealand to discuss his extensive and rewarding career. He talks about how his experience of growing up on a Queensland pineapple farm led him into international develo…

1
SIS: Passing the PhD: how to defend your thesis

1y ago

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Imagine this – you have two hours to prove to a room of experts that your PhD research was good enough to land you a doctorate. Daunting, right? In this episode, Dr Yongyan Peng (Angel) joins ex-PhD students and newly minted Drs Erin Stroud and Hilary Ireland to chat about how they prepared for and successfully defended their theses. You’ll hear a …

1
SLFM: Try before you buy

1y ago

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Science careers can be diverse. How do you pick which path to follow? Starting out with a series of contract roles, Plant Physiology Scientist and PhD student Kris Kramer-Walter took the try-before-you-by approach. Scigest host Erin Stroud chats to Kris about his journey into a science career and the diverse range of roles he has had so far. From w…

1
SIS: The importance of mentoring

1y ago

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In today’s episode, scigest host Erin Stroud chats to her personal mentor Dr Priya Subramanian, Plant & Food Research’s Dr Jill Stanley, and Student Support Adviser for Māori and Pacific students Lizzie Tafili about the importance of mentoring. Acting as a how-to guide, this episode will help you find (and be) a good mentor, no matter what stage of…

1
SIS: A summer in science

1y ago

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Our host Erin Stroud chats to students Tom Parekowhai and Rāwinia Wikaira as they recount their summers in science. Tom and Rāwinia cover the types of projects summer students can get involved in at Plant & Food Research - spanning from protecting taonga trees to modelling apple orchards. Covering the highs and lows of working in science and the im…

1
BIOSECURITY: Invasion-of-the-Fall-armyworm

1+ y ago

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While an invasion of creepy crawlies may be the stuff of nightmares, it could be a reality for New Zealand growers and gardening hobbyists. Fall armyworm has recently made its way to our shores and, under the right conditions, has the potential to wipe out crop plants overnight. In today’s episode, we chat to Frances MacDonald and Jordan Pickering …

1
ID: A new horizon for dragon fruit

1+ y ago

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Scientists from Plant & Food Research have been working with partners at the Southern Horticultural Research Institute in Viet Nam over the last decade on a joint dragon fruit breeding programme and have developed three new varieties. VentureFruit™ has joined the collaboration with exclusive global commercialisation rights to the first three variet…

1
SLS: Cricket Calls

1+ y ago

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Nighttime cricket calls might be the soundtrack of summer, but for farmers, it's not a noise they want to hear. In this Scigest episode, entomologist Sophie Hunt and Northland kumara grower Warwick Simpson talk about how black crickets are a pest for farmers, damaging crops and pastures; and their acoustic cricket call trap, an innovative new tool …

1
SLFM: Straight into science

1+ y ago

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Scientist and Scigest podcaster Rebecca Bloomer talks fellow scientist Tom Moore about her journey into science, asking interesting biological questions, how curiosity can drive science communications, and the importance of good support networks. In 2022, Rebecca was recognised with the Plant & Food Research Early Career Researcher award at the Sci…

1
SS: Filling The Void - A colourful project

1+ y ago

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The multi-disciplinary Filling the Void project received the Science New Zealand Team Award for their work in laying the foundation for a new breeding programme for Aotearoa. Their goal was to develop a novel berry that would combine the commercial benefits of blueberries with the colour-filled flesh of bilberries. This new hybrid berry would conta…

1
SB: Making the most of our fish

1+ y ago

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Achieving total utilisation and maximum value from a catch is an significant goal for the seafood industry. In this podcast, we discuss Cyber Physical Seafood Systems (Cyber-Marine), a new Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) funded research programme aimed at achieving 100% utilisation and maximised value for all harvested wild a…

1
SLFM: A collection of virus-related moments

1+ y ago

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Passionate plant virologist Associate Professor Robin MacDiarmid talks to Scigest host Erin Stroud about how her family sparked her interest in a science career, the devastating loss of her mother, and personal strengths, determination and appreciation of life. Robin and Erin discuss cultural and social responsibilities of science, how viruses are …

1
SLFM: Sniffing out a successful technology

1+ y ago

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Scientist Blue Plunkett speaks to Andrew Kralicek, Chief Technology Officer of Scentian Bio, about biosensors that can detect volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) – or more simply, smells, in liquid and air.The ground-breaking technology has broad applications across a number of industries, from medical and health applications to food production. Andr…

1
SLFM: Being a bioinformatician

1+ y ago

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Bioinformatics is cutting-edge science that applies tools of computation and analysis to capture and understand biological data. It is an interdisciplinary field which harnesses computer science, mathematics, physics, and biology. Scientist and podcaster Blue Plunket speaks to Bioinformatician Amali Thrimawithana about her journey into science and …

1
BIOSECURITY: Benefits of beneficial biodiversity

1+ y ago

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There are enormous benefits that Aotearoa New Zealand’s insect fauna can play in pollinating crops and controlling insect pests. Scientist Brad Howlett speaks to Scigest host Nicola Sullivan about designing native plantings to increase the abundance of native pollinators and natural enemies. By returning native plants, animals and insects, we can c…

1
SLFM: Where does the data go

1+ y ago

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Wanting to see the bigger picture and understand what knowledge could be gained from the data he was collecting opened up a whole new world of data science for scientist Jian Liu. Jian chats to statistical scientist and new Scigest host Tom Moore about his journey from soil sampling and field science into the world of data science, the advantages o…

1
SLFM: David Hughes: leadership learnings

2y ago

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Plant & Food Research CEO David Hughes chats with Scigest host Hilary Ireland about his journey science leadership, the big opportunities in the future of food, sustainability and how science can create a better world for everyone. Listen to the Future of Food episode mentioned in this podcast here: www.plantandfood.com/en-nz/article/future-of-food…

1
SB: Creating New Zealand-made aquafeeds for sustainable aquaculture

2y ago

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Fish are not simple to feed. Their nutritional requirements vary hugely depending on the species, life stage and growing environment. Most of the aquafeeds currently used in Aotearoa New Zealand is imported and being able to produce New Zealand-made aquafeeds from locally produced ingredients is crucial for the sustainable growth of marine fish aqu…

1
SLFM: A curious journey

2y ago

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Following his passion, curiosity and interest led statistical scientist Tom Moore into a varied science career. Fellow scientist and Scigest host Susan Thomson speaks to Tom as he recounts his transition from freshwater ecology and parasitic vampire freshwater mussels to applying data techniques to get the most out of the information collected by s…

1
SS: The Future Orchard

2y ago

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Improving efficiency of fruit production on the minimum amount of land while reducing inputs on the orchard is vital for the longevity and sustainability of the fruit tree industries around the world. Scientist and podcaster Rebecca Bloomer speaks to fruit crops physiology scientist, Ben van Hooijdonk about a new system called Future Orchard Produc…

1
SMAS: Future of Food

2y ago

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How we grow, buy, eat and even value our food is changing. In our 100th Scigest podcast Ian Proudfoot, KPMG Global Head of Agribusiness, and our CEO David Hughes discuss the future of food, how value creation and different technologies and approaches can help create a sustainable, resilient food system that works for everyone.…

1
SIS: From Gumboots to Boardroom

2y ago

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In this episode of our Starting In Science series, host Erin Stroud chats to plant-pathogen scientist Dr Nick Waipara (Rongowhakaata and Ngāti Ruapani ki Turanga), entomologist Dr Dave Bellamy, and Dr Andrew Kralicek, founder and CTO of Scentian Bio, about how diverse a science career can be, potential career pathways and pivot points, and how to m…

1
SS: Adding value to New Zealand wheat

2y ago

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Wheat is the most widely grown commercial crop in the world, yet flour and bread disappeared from supermarket shelves during the lockdown. Wheat breeder Jamie Macalister chats to Scigest host Rebecca Bloomer about researching genomics in wheat, looking at reducing gluten peptides that stimulate an immune response, and how building resilience in our…

1
SLFM: A taste for change

2y ago

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Yuki Wadamori, a scientist in our Food & Bioproducts Technology team, sunk her teeth into a new career after working as a dentist in Japan. She chats to Scigest host Nicola Sullivan about her interesting career path and how her love of food led to a career combining dentistry and science. For more podcasts from us go to https://www.plantandfood.com…

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