Lincoln University is building a solar farm that will also grow horticulture crops beneath the rows of panels.

The Lincoln University Energy Farm will be first in New Zealand to demonstrate high-value agrivoltaics, the process of creating renewable electricity generation and farming on the same land.

Currently under review for resource consent, the farm will have 2800 panels on a four-hectare site near the campus.

Whether it is Delhi or Drury, urban growth slamming up against highly productive food producing land is a challenge authorities around the world have to grapple with, and those in New Zealand are no exception.

Lincoln landscape architecture senior lecturer Dr Shannon Davis has led an Our Land and Water project that looks at the challenges of the “peri-urban” zone where town meets country, and ways to make better use of it.

A new research project to future proof and protect Aotearoa food systems and the environment has attracted more than $10 million in funding this week.

The collaboration between the Sustainable Nutrition Initiative® (SNi®) of the Riddet Institute, hosted at Massey University, and iwi group Wakatū Incorporation was selected by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as a recipient for their 2024 Endeavour Fund round on Friday (September 15).

Supermarket customers around New Zealand are noticing gaps in the grocery aisles that have nothing to do with the global pandemic or Ukraine war. It’s clear domestic food supply chains have been increasingly challenged by natural disasters and the ongoing impact of climate change.

As New Zealand considers the removal of the goods and services tax (GST) from food to reduce costs for low income households, advocates need to consider the impact cheap food has on the environment and whether there are better options to help struggling families.

Wim explains that many proven technologies are available now, but they require a holistic approach as no single technology will deliver the “Future Proof Zero Carbon” solution. The talk provided an overview of the diversity of renewable energy sources and why they should be part of New Zealand’s future.

As New Zealand considers the removal of the goods and services tax (GST) from food to reduce costs for low income households, advocates need to consider the impact cheap food has on the environment and whether there are better options to help struggling families.

The Commerce Commission’s much-anticipated review of supermarket competition has itself had mixed reviews. Many felt a major opportunity to reset New Zealand’s food system had been missed, others felt the commission’s final report got it about right – and supermarket owners probably breathed a little easier.

A review of the big players was certainly due. New Zealand has one of the most concentrated grocery retailing sectors in the world.

Concerns for a global food crisis are rising as Russia bans wheat exports following continues tensions with Ukraine.

Being the third largest exporter in the world, the removal of Russia’s wheat from the market will put world supplies under pressure, creating major challenges says Lincoln University’s Alan Renwick.