The move follows an independent review, compiled by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, which found that the nation was a world leader in the field of reducing methane emissions from livestock.
The reviewers noted the “high quality research and international recognition” enabled by the NZAGRC through its scientific activities.
NZAGRC’s director Harry Clark said New Zealand was “punching above its weight” in climate change-related agricultural research, considering the size of the country.
“The NZAGRC has a strong history of capability development, particularly in supporting young researchers into permanent positions,” said Clark. “Effort has also gone into identifying capability or expertise gaps that could be critical for New Zealand in the future, such as soil science and modelling.”
Although the review praised New Zealand, it outlined future recommendations to improve NZAGRC’s research by developing wider partnerships and seek further relevant stakeholder inputs.
“The opportunity and challenge now is to ensure we continue to support New Zealand's scientific excellence and leadership while putting our research into practice,” said the Ministry for Primary Industries’ manager for sustainable resources Neil Williams.
“We continue to strive towards offering New Zealand farmers practical, cost-effective solutions to reduce their on-farm greenhouse gas emissions.”