Annual Report 2013 Annual Report
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Annual Report 2013 Annual Report PLANT & FOOD RESEARCH ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Our purpose is to enhance the value and productivity of the horticultural , viticultural , arable , seafood and food and beverage industries. Our science is Growing Futures™ 2 Highlights 4 Chairman’s commentary 6 CEO review 8 Our impact 22 International relationships 24 Engagement with Māori 26 Responding to Psa 28 Research collaborations This report has embedded 30 Science quality augmented reality content. 32 Core funding Learn more on page 76 38 Good employer responsibilities 39 CRI stakeholder experience survey and keep a look out for 40 Financial statements this Layar symbol. Our mission scorecard Core measures Our vision → To be valued by our stakeholders and admired of our success by our peers for the quality and impact of our science For the shareholder: → Positive rating by core stakeholders of our → science impact Our strategic priority To maximise the impact of our science, sustainably, for → Quantified impact on New Zealand, our stakeholders and for Plant & Food Research social, economic and environmental prosperity → Enduring commercial sustainability → Demonstrated impact Our customers expect → High quality science, → A knowledgeable, for Māori stakeholders innovative IP, products enduring supplier of and services choice For customers: → Relevant, high quality, timely outputs and delivery → Science excellence → Partners and → High impact return on Our institute must have relationships investment Science practice and outputs → Vision and commitment benchmarked against Global research alliances to inform and help the highest international that enhance our capability, realise their goals standards. science quality and delivery. Systems and culture that For Plant & Food Long-term, proactive recognise and support the relationships worldwide Research: pursuit of robust, innovative with partners best able → A performance culture and creative science. to apply research for with a talented, maximum impact. engaged workforce Understanding and respect for Mātuaranga Māori. → Depth and growth in research and commercial relationships → Robust commercial performance → Enduring relationships Our values reflect → Achievement through → Discovery and the creative application with Māori enterprises leadership of our knowledge and Iwi Our mission scorecard is available for download from: www.plantandfood.co.nz → To be valued by our stakeholders and admired by our peers for the quality and impact of our science → To maximise the impact of our science, sustainably, for New Zealand, our stakeholders and for Plant & Food Research → A knowledgeable, → A partner with vision, → ROI and trust enduring supplier of sharing risk and in delivery choice rewards → Partners and → Productivity and → Commercial and → The right people, relationships operational excellence investment acumen highly engaged and well led Global research alliances Teams structured to lift delivery Selective, strategic that enhance our capability, of breakthough innovation. investment that optimises science quality and delivery. Emphasis on managing outputs our research portfolio for to meet or exceed customer impact and commercial Long-term, proactive demand for high quality, sustainability of delivery. relationships worldwide timeliness and relevance of with partners best able Robust market identification research and advice. to apply research for matched with imagination maximum impact. Greater organisational flexibility and flexibility in business and agility to take on new and contract models. challenges and maximise opportunities. → Discovery and the creative application → Relationships based on honesty, of our knowledge mutual respect and trust Our mission scorecard is available for download from: www.plantandfood.co.nz Our mission: A sustainable business delivering science that maximises opportunities to enhance New Zealand’s economic, environmental and social prosperity. 1 Highlights 2013 → Release of ‘CRBA131’ forage barley → Managing and attending an MBIE- → Starting construction of a new to the industry. Marketed as Monty, funded Functional Foods delegation site in Nelson to enhance our ‘CRBA131’ is used to supplement to Japan. The visit by representatives seafood research programmes. animal grazing in times of low pasture, from 14 New Zealand companies and The new finfish rearing facility will Monty is the first awnless forage academic institutions showcased provide enhanced resources for the barley released in New Zealand New Zealand’s capabilities in the development of research programmes and its lack of spikes increases its functional foods research space and that benefit the seafood industry. acceptability as a forage crop. generated many new business and research opportunities with Japanese food companies. → Releasing the parasitoid wasp Mastrus ridens as a new biocontrol agent for use in apple orchards. Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency in June, the wasp attacks the cocoons of codling moth, a major pest species. The wasps → Commercialising a new natural are being released into Hawke’s Bay fungicide for residue-free control of → orchards to analyse their efficiency as Supporting the launch of the botrytis bunch rot on grapes. ® biocontrol agents. new Piqa range of pears. MIDI-Zen®, which provides control of Commercialised by Prevar™ Ltd, botrytis in the mid-season period of the family of hybrid pears combine growth, is being sold through Botry-Zen European, Japanese and Chinese 2010 Ltd and when combined with two pear traits to deliver a new consumer other biocontrol products, BOTRY-ZEN® experience. Prevar™ is in discussions and ARMOUR-Zen®, provides a season- with licensees in both the Southern long biocontrol programme for grape and Northern Hemispheres to take growers. these pears to market. → Developing a series of new collaborations with Chinese research institutions. As part of an ongoing programme to build a profile with the Asian market, we have signed → Collaborating with AgResearch, Scion an agreement with the Yunnan and Callaghan Innovation to create Department of Science & Technology, the Bioresource Processing Alliance. and have established a joint research The BPA aims to develop a pipeline laboratory for fruit science with the of new high-value products from Chinese Academy of Agriculture biological industry waste streams to Science Fruit Research Institute in the generate new export products. Henan province. Highlights 2013 2 → Releasing the vitalvegetables® → Supporting the development of a New → Transferring Varroa Sensitive product range onto the market. Zealand-grown blackcurrant extract Hygiene (VSH) bee colonies to the Working with Vital Vegetables product for relieving mental stress. New Zealand beekeeping sector. The Marketing Partners, the first five A clinical trial showed that, compared presence of varroa in a beehive can kill products – three salads, a coleslaw with a placebo, an extract from New all bees within a few months, affecting and a vegetable medley – have been Zealand company Just the Berries pollination of key food and feed crops. released in supermarkets across Ltd allowed participants to work more VSH bees naturally clean their hives of New Zealand. The new category of accurately without slowing down and varroa, reducing costs and complexity vegetable products offers consumers with increased alertness after mentally of controlling the mite. more information about the nutrients fatiguing tests. The product is now and health benefits delivered by being marketed as a functional food specific vegetable mixes. ingredient under the brand delcyan™. → Initiating a new PGP with PGG Wrightson Ltd and the Ministry for Primary Industries to develop new high-value forage crops for the dairy industry. Under the PGP, our brassica breeders will develop new herbicide- tolerant forages as well as new forage rape and swede cultivars with → Initiating a new programme of improved disease resistance. research through NZAid to develop the dragon fruit industry in Vietnam. The → Joining with Italian research institute programme will develop new cultivars, IASMA to complete the whole sustainable production systems and genome sequence of the European training in postharvest management pear, presented at the international for local farmers. The objective is to Rosaceae conference RGC6. The develop competitive advantage for publication of the pear genome will growers and sustainable economic support researchers in identifying key returns, contributing to NZ Aid’s genes of interest and fast-tracking the overarching goal of reducing poverty. breeding of new pear cultivars. → Collaborating with fellow CRIs, → Establishing a new joint research universities and commercial partners unit with Spanish agrifood institute in the establishment of two new IRTA. The IRTA-PFR Research science hubs. The Lincoln Hub is Innovation Unit (IPRIU) will allow focused on creating a world-class science teams from both institutions agricultural research and education to develop joint proposals for facility, while the Palmerston North competitive funding rounds, both hub, Food HQ, will concentrate on the in New Zealand and Europe. agri-food industry. Highlights 2013 3 Chairman’s commentary New Zealand has an ambitious growth agenda, and the horticulture, arable, seafood and food industries have a role to play. We will continue to work closely with our partners to prioritise resources for new and existing markets, and to ensure New Zealand remains competitive globally. New