The New Zealand China Water Research Centre recently hosted a two day workshop at Lincoln University.
Over 60 researchers from 18 Chinese institutions and nine New Zealand institutions and dairy and fertiliser companies attended the workshop. In addition, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Christchurch, Mr Zhijian Wang, the Education Consul, Mr Jianjun Zhai, Katherine MacGregor, Senior Advisor to MBIE, and the Vice-Chancellor of Lincoln University, Professor Robin Pollard, also attended.
The delegates presented research papers on day one, with keynote addresses by Professors Hong Di and Keith Cameron (Overview of nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emission mitigation research underway at Lincoln University); Professor Jizheng He, Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Science, CAS (Transmission of antibiotic resistance genes in agricultural ecosystems); Professor Xiying Zhang CAS, Shijiazhuang (Integrated measures to improve crop water use efficiency in the North China Plain); Professor Stewart Ledgard, AgResearch (Nitrogen and water quality indicators across livestock supply chains and an overview of the NZ-China Joint Research project on reducing the water footprint and impacts of dairy systems in China and NZ); and Professor Pute Wu, Vice-President of Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University (Water Footprint and Its Application in Agricultural Water Management).
On day two delegates visited Lincoln University’s Ashley Dene Research and Development Station, attended a powhiri and lunch at Renhua Marae and toured the Ngāi Tahu Te Whenua Hou Dairy Farms at Eyrewell.
New Zealand China Water Research Centre is a MBIE-funded initiative with objectives to collaborate with Chinese partners to study water quality and quantity issues, and develop advanced mitigation technologies to reduce water contamination and protect surface- and ground-water quality; to develop enduring partnerships with Chinese collaborators through joint research for the strategic benefits of both New Zealand and China; and to empower Māori farming communities by transferring the new knowledge and novel mitigation solutions to relevant Māori groups.
The Centre is led by Professor Hong Di and includes scientists from Lincoln Hub partners Lincoln University, AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research and Lincoln Agritech Ltd, as well as the University of Otago.
