Grasslanz Technology claims top science honour

13 March 2025

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 yesterday 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.”

New Grasslanz Technology chief executive Megan Skiffington

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 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 even more 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.”

• More about the Science New Zealand Awards can be found here(external link) and more about Grasslanz Technology here(external link).