The Supreme Winner of this year’s Science New Zealand Awards is Grasslanz Technology, a subsidiary of AgResearch that has made a significant contribution to our economy and environment.
The Supreme Winner and seven category winners were announced 12 March 2025 at Banquet Hall in Wellington’s Parliament Buildings.
The Science New Zealand Awards celebrate the people whose research and innovation makes a difference for New Zealand – and, often, the world. The finalists and winners represent the best of New Zealand’s scientific talent, growing our economy, looking after our environment and creating a fairer New Zealand.
The theme of this year’s awards was ‘impacts for Aotearoa New Zealand’, recognising the research driving innovation and tangible outcomes that benefit New Zealanders.
Researchers often collaborate across institutes and with industry to tackle important challenges and grow opportunities for New Zealand, pooling their knowledge, expertise, experience and insights. The awards recognise research teams that include partners from communities, business, iwi, and local and central government.
This year's Science New Zealand Awards honoured 40 finalists across five award categories: Collaboration for Impact, Individual/Lifetime Achievement, Early Career Researcher, Te Tohu Tūhura (Charter a Course for Impact through Partnering with Māori), and Success in Innovation/Commercialisation. The Supreme Award winner was chosen from the winners of the five award categories.
Having been announced as the winner of the Success in Innovation/Commercialisation category Grasslanz Technology was also announced as the Supreme Winner on the night.
Grasslanz Technology at Science New Zealand Awards – Trevor Mitchell, John Caradus, Megan Skiffington, Bruce Belgrave
MEDIA RELEASE
A plant technology company that has been a major contributor to the success of New Zealand agriculture for more than two decades has been recognised with the supreme honour at the 2025 Science New Zealand Awards.
AgResearch subsidiary, Grasslanz Technology Limited, was announced today as the supreme award winner in recognition of its record of introducing valuable new types of pasture and related technologies that have helped livestock industries to thrive.
Among these is the commercialisation of the AR37 Epichloë endophyte developed by AgResearch scientists, which provides resistance to pests and has been independently estimated as contributing $3.6 billion to the New Zealand economy over the life of its 20-year patent.
“This award is a real credit to the many people who have been a part of the enduring success of Grasslanz Technology,” says Grasslanz Technology chief executive Megan Skiffington.
“That means everyone from the science teams who made the discoveries and did the research, through to those who partnered with us because they believed in turning this research into products that farmers and growers can use to enhance the productivity and sustainability of agriculture in this country.”
The Chairs of the Judging Panels for the Science New Zealand Awards, who selected the Supreme Award winner, said Grasslanz Technology stood out “because of its contribution to the growth of the New Zealand economy through excellent science directed to solve issues faced by the primary sector in an economically and environmentally sustainable fashion”.
The Science New Zealand Awards celebrate the best of the science and its impacts across New Zealand’s Crown Research Institutes and Callaghan Innovation.
The Government announced earlier this year that the seven Crown Research Institutes will soon be merged into three new Public Research Organisations, including one that includes AgResearch and is focused on the bioeconomy.
Skiffington says this new structure presents exciting possibilities for Grasslanz to grow its reach and seize other opportunities to bolster the primary sector. This includes opportunities using technologies such as genetic modification and gene editing in pasture and beyond.
“We know that farmers and growers do better when backed by great science. With our partners, Grasslanz has delivered that impact on the ground. We think we will be able to bring a lot of value to the new Public Research Organisation with our proven business model, helping a larger pool of scientists to provide solutions to those farmers and growers.”
ENDS
