University of Auckland funded Research Programmes

Our research asks How can future Urban Industrial Zones (UIZs) be designed to integrate resource-efficient economic principles, ecologically-sustainable technologies, and inclusive practices to drive economic, environmental, and social resilience whilst adapting to increasingly uncertain futures?

We adopt a holistic approach to UIZs to outperform traditional models economically, environmentally, and socially. By integrating ecological-economic systems with multi-sector expertise, we can create efficient, resilient, and high-performing urban economies that drive long-term prosperity.

As cities face mounting pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, and overburdened infrastructure, it is imperative to rethink urban development. Current approaches struggle to cope with escalating climate-related events, threatening business continuity, public infrastructure, and economic stability. Aotearoa-NZ’s economic resilience depends on smarter, future-focused urban environments.

Led by a transdisciplinary team from the University of Auckland, Market Economics Ltd, The Urbanist Ltd, AUT, University of Otago, University of Waikato, and Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, supported by the Auckland Council, and in partnership with architecture-engineering-planning practices and business organisations, our programme will transform Aotearoa’s UIZs into thriving economic hubs.

Our cutting-edge tools – Urban Industrial Zone Digital Twin, Ecological-Economics Simulation Model, socio-technical Post-Occupancy Evaluations, biodiversity and ecosystem services analyses, and multisensory analysis – will provide actionable strategies for decision-makers, businesses, and regulators.

Collaboration is at the heart of our approach. By engaging Māori, local and national government, local communities, businesses, professionals, and policymakers, we co-develop transformative solutions that enhance business resilience, reduce economic risk, and improve ecological and societal outcomes.

This research lays the foundation for a flourishing economy that is not only sustainable but also more competitive, adaptive, and resilient to future shocks. Together, we redefine urban industrial success in Aotearoa-NZ.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact Prof Paola Boarin p.boarin@auckland.ac.nz

This programme aims to transform the way we determine, value and utilise metallic minerals to inform land-use decisions in NZ’s premier metal province - a metal-transfer superhighway that moves metal from the mantle to the crust, and runs the length of NZ. Rich in gold, silver, and associated critical metals (e.g., tungsten, antimony, and others), this province has generated revenue for NZ for >150 years, including our economically transformative gold rushes of the 19th century. Recent discoveries demonstrate that this superhighway retains significant capacity to increase  regional prosperity along the length of the country. It can also contribute critical elements necessary for societal resilience and global trade.

However, economic benefits will not occur unless key challenges for NZ’s mining industry are addressed. In particular:

• Where will new discoveries of mineralisation most likely to be found?
• How can wastewater discharge be eliminated from new critical-mineral processing plants?
• What are the impacts on environmental concentration of metals that can be expected from mining disturbance of NZ mineralisation? And how can this be minimised?
• What are public expectations for NZ’s minerals industry?
• How can future mining practises and engineering protections address this?

We will investigate physical and chemical processes that control metal-mobility, and the socio-economic nexus between NZ’s mining industry and public expectation. This will provide new understanding of the distribution of precious and critical metals in NZ and how to extract them responsibly, in order to deliver regional prosperity, jobs and trade resilience for NZ.

New Zealand's Greenshell mussel industry is the country's largest aquaculture industry, but growth and expansion is currently constrained by the inefficient use of seed mussels, or 'spat'. Each year the industry harvests more than 300 billion spat to seed its farms, but more than 99.5% of these are lost from production, from seeding through to harvest. The reason for these losses is that the spat used by the Greenshell industry to seed its farms are tiny - about the size of a grain of sand. Growing these tiny spat to larger sizes in nursery systems prior to seeding onto farms is a highly promising approach to reducing these losses and unlocking the full potential of the Greenshell industry.

This project will develop the nursery systems and protocols required for growing spat to larger sizes, which will transform the industry. Reducing the scale of spat losses on New Zealand's Greenshell mussel farms by as little as even 1% has the potential to generate an additional $350 million to the country's economy.

For enquiries contact Dr Brad Skelton - brad.skelton@auckland.ac.nz

We will provide new information on the current and likely future state of the ocean surrounding Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) to help government and communities make the best decisions about how we use and interact with oceans as they change.

Oceans affect everything about New Zealand - their temperatures determine much of our weather, impacting our primary industries. Health and sustainable use of the ocean underpins the economy through the seafood and tourism industries. However, the ocean around AoNZ is warming at twice the global rate creating changes to weather and the coastal ocean that will challenge the resilience of our society and economy.

Our project brings together oceanographers and atmospheric and social science experts from multiple domestic and international organisations. Using novel ocean instruments, computer simulations, and new analytical techniques our project will assess:

• Future coastal ocean temperatures and marine heat waves
• Changes in extreme weather events due to the changing ocean
• Coastal ocean thermal refugia and hot spots
• Forecasts of ocean surface temperatures

We will look in detail at impacts in two regions -- a) Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf and b) Dunedin and the Otago Shelf. We will investigate how communities throughout the country understand and make decisions about changing ocean and weather.

We will empower national, region and local organisations with climate and ocean decisions by:

• Creating new weather and climate forecasting and projections.
• Ascertaining changes to extreme weather from ocean heating.
• Evaluating present health and future impacts of the changing ocean and atmosphere on the coastal ocean.
• Offering new insight into solutions for ocean planning and management.

Diabetes is a leading cause of disability and death. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reported that in 2021, ~540 million people were living with diabetes, >95% of whom have type-2 diabetes (T2D), with a further 50% undiagnosed. To date, all medicines for diabetes treat only symptoms: none can prevent/reverse the diabetic organ damage.

In New Zealand (NZ), Māori, Pasifika and Asian communities are disproportionately represented, with prevalence rates expected to almost double in these communities by 2040. The 2020 PwC The-Economic-and-Social-Cost-of-Type-2-Diabetes Edgar report estimated costs of diabetes to the NZ health system (~228,000 diagnosed patients) to have been $2.1 billion annually. This report also indicated that the prevalence of T2D in NZ is likely to reach epidemic proportions, increasing by 70-90% by 2040, with cost projections of ~$3.5 billion, significantly exceeding those for cancer/cardiovascular diseases over the next 20 years.

Our team has identified the probable molecular basis of pancreatic damage that causes insulin-deficiency and T2D. Over recent years, in our MBIE-funded programmes, we have learned how to target this mechanism therapeutically, using small molecules that markedly slow progression of diabetes in model systems.

We are working towards the development of an innovative new medicine that can prevent the onset/progression of diabetes in patients, leading to a significant lengthening of life, and improvement in limiting organ damage. This therapy will have a positive transformative impact on NZ’s economic future by providing an effective therapy for T2D in NZ and worldwide, bringing future manufacturing and export potential to NZ, thereby contributing to economic growth through distinctive R&D, of relevance to Vision Mātauranga and its priorities. If we succeed, this will significantly benefit these communities in NZ, and those affected worldwide.

The cochlea of the inner ear is extremely small and completely encased in bone, making it one of the most difficult human organs to access for diagnosing and treating diseases that cause hearing loss. We aim to develop a medical device that can be inserted down the ear canal and through a small hole in the eardrum to assess the cochlea and quickly deliver drugs and other treatments. We have recently (i) invented a prototype device that uses ultrasound (very high frequency sound) to efficiently deliver drugs into the cochlea via the ear canal, (ii) produced pilot data using optical tools to investigate and assess the cochlea and its fluids; and (iii) established a world-leading programme using the sheep to study ear disease; and hearing loss. We will establish a New Zealand-based company to manufacture the device, creating a new industry for inner ear therapeutics, and added economic benefit to NZ through global investment and pharmaceutical company collaborations. We will build a local workforce to support new clinical research into inner ear therapeutics. About 880,000 people in Aotearoa, and 1.5 billion worldwide, experience hearing loss; many cannot access or afford hearing aids or cochlear implants. Māori are disproportionately impacted by hearing loss and less likely to access treatment. We therefore are working very closely with Māori to ensure acceptability and access to our device within this community. Poorly managed hearing loss has considerable impact on children and adults and costs NZ around $4.6 billion annually. Our programme will address many of these costs by transforming the treatment of hearing loss to enable rapid assessment and precision treatment that will be more broadly accessible and cost-effective than current treatments.

The deadly tsunamis and submarine cable damage produced by the Hunga Volcano (Tonga) in 2022 demonstrated a lack of preparedness and resilience to the hazards of underwater volcanoes. With >80 active submarine volcanoes in the Southwest Pacific, this is a critical hazard blind-spot for New Zealand. As part of a global effort, we seek to understand these hazards and leverage findings from a series of planned international oceanographic voyages. Our focus is to discover and quantify the specific volcanic processes leading to castastrophic tsunami as well the causes of submarine flows of rock particles that destroy cables that we primarily depend on for internet connectivity. Our research will use laboratory experiments and computational modelling, informed and tested against field volcanology, marine geology and anthropology studies of unique case studies in the Southwest Pacific.

Combining satellite and ship-board geophysical investigations, with new knowledge on the generation of extreme submarine mass flows and tsunami, we will pin-point the top-ten most dangerous underwater volcanoes from a New Zealand perspective. For these we will develop model scenarios from source to quantification of impact. We will use our results to design and advocate for a new generation of warning systems and risk mitigation measures for our shores and infrastructure. Our results will contribute to New Zealand’s all-of-hazards risk model via GNS Science and NIWA and the National Emergency Management Agency. Our work will also directly inform actions and strategies of the International Cable Protection Committee and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.

We will develop high-value products derived from grape marc, to grow existing New Zealand industries and facilitate new ventures. Currently treated as waste, grape marc is a significant resource.

Our research team holds several patents and has developed leading-edge technological approaches that will be applied to grape marc components.

The NZ food industry will use grape proteins and bioactive polyphenols will as dietary ingredients in their own right, while antioxidant biopolymers will extend the shelf-life of food. We will create value out of fine chemical and surfactants based on grape marc components. We will introduce novel high value paper products with key industry partners, providing fire-retardant and antimicrobial properties and integrated paper-based electronics.

We will take a stakeholder (industry, consumers, community) co-creation approach in the design of novel products for applications in the food, pharmaceutical, building and fine chemicals sectors.

Our team from Auckland University of Technology, Scion, the University of Canterbury and the University of Auckland will work closely with the NZ wine industry for the supply of grape marc and support NZ companies to develop high-value products.

Our programme will be an example of how to create substantial new high-value product revenue streams for NZ companies while eliminating a primary industry waste stream as part of our future circular economy.

Aotearoa hosts world-class geothermal environments suited to low-cost, sustainable energy generation. These could pave the way to an economically achievable (and just) transition to a hydrocarbon-free economy. In order to achieve this sustainable goal, this project will deliver underpinning knowledge that integrates new ecological economic, computational, Mātauranga Māori and geoscience to promote safety, sustainability, and growth of diverse geothermal enterprises in Aotearoa-NZ. We will also demonstrate global leadership to enhance geothermal use around the world.

Outputs will include new numerical simulations and geoscience models of geothermal-system stability and background hazards - based on scenarios of geological processes, climate-driven hydrological change, and anthropogenic interventions (including CO2 sequestration and intensification). Growth will be encouraged by the development of new economic models and decision-support tools that quantify the diversity of benefits and losses of different geothermal development options – particularly highlighting wellbeing and targeted needs that help provide better social financial/investment levers. New decision-making frameworks for geothermal investment will integrate new Kaupapa-created Mātauranga Māori values and target Māori-identified wellbeing and skills-development pathways.

Using our Aotearoa and international experience, we will work with energy companies, Māori businesses, land trusts, and Government to develop new economic tools that driving new geothermal investment. We will build more appropriate business cases that underpin growth of diverse, sustainable, and productive geothermal enterprises. This will rest on a foundation of new impact-based investment knowledge and tools that highlight the wider benefits from geothermal development, especially to improve regional and Māori economies. Our work will contribute a safe, thriving, expanding geothermal economy. This is critically important, because geothermal systems are the key to low- carbon sustainable energy generation, have diverse direct-use heat applications, and potential for sustainable smart-mineral extraction.

In this project, novel technology will be developed to reduce carbon emissions from geothermal power plants by reinjecting and mineral trapping greenhouse gases back to the geothermal reservoirs where they originally came from. This is in line with the New Zealand government’s targets of 95% renewable electricity generation by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050.

While there have been several investigations and projects in New Zealand and overseas to capture and store greenhouse gases deep underground, geothermal power developments provide the best opportunity. This is because the geothermal projects typically capture (but release) the greenhouse gases and have existing reinjection wells for the return of the greenhouse gases back into the deep rock formations.

Our technology is based on controlling the chemical reactions between the reinjected gases and the reservoir rock to convert the waste gases into solid form, which will be permanently stored underground.

Our programme will play an essential role in unlocking the potential of Māori resources. It will underpin research for the development of ‘carbon-negative’ energy, economic growth, know-how, and job creation while sustaining the environment.

Partnering with New Zealand and the international industry, iwi, and local government will provide the essential understanding and proven applied implementation of greenhouse gas capture and storage in geothermal systems. Underpinning further advances in greenhouse gas disposal and storage from other fixed emission sources.

Once proven, our novel technology has the potential to be deployed to other, also more intense greenhouse gas emission sources (e.g., power production, material processing, industrial-scale forestry, and dairy).

Remaking products from plastic waste presents an opportunity for New Zealand to reduce the $500m p.a. loss from dysfunctional recycling practices, limit the reliance on virgin plastics we import and create new, high-end plastic materials. Additionally, by keeping plastics in a circular loop, ultimately a reduction in plastic leakage into the environment can be achieved, which has significant environmental and social impact for New Zealand and will improve its poor global ranking on solid waste management.

However, the barriers to collecting and recycling locally are complex and it is widely accepted that a single solution to the plastics waste problem is unrealistic. Instead, a coordinated approach technological innovations and involvement of all stakeholders in supporting a new marketplace for plastics. Recognising this complexity, our research programme has been co-designed with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from engineering, strategic marketing and design and a comprehensive set of stakeholders from New Zealand’s plastic industry.

Over the next five years, we will develop innovative technologies to reform currently unused plastic waste into upcycled high-end plastic material that can be used for industrial production. For these technologies and materials to be successfully commercialized, we will create a marketplace for plastics and design digital tools (system infrastructure and user interfaces applications) to ensure individuals, communities, start-ups and organisations have the knowledge and access to access the marketplace.

In order to achieve our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, New Zealand must tackle the difficult problem of weaning itself off fossil fuels for transport. The bigget single barrier to uptake of electric vehicles is wirelessly charging their batteries – safely, simply, and fast. But there is no technology yet invented that can deliver sufficient charge to heavy vehicles without limiting payload or range. Despite the advice of the Climate Change Commission that we need to switch much of the freight fleet to electricity by 2035, it is unclear how we can do so. This research programme adresses that challenging problem. It will develop the necessary technology to wirelessly power the full range of vehicles on the move, and to deliver very high power quickly to heavy vehicles at off-road locations – without imposing impossible loads on the electricity grid. The science that makes this possible was invented by New Zealand researchers 30 years ago. The science is challenging, but the team is internationally respected for its work in these fields. The outcomes will provide the vehicle-side and in-road charging technology including magnetics, power electronics, and road materials, as well as the traffic and economic data necessary for their deployment in New Zealand roads. Our work will give confidence to fleet owners to invest in EVs and to NZTA and local authorities to invest in the new roading infrastructure. We are partnering with rural and urban iwi groups to ensure our technologies are appropriate for them. This research will help to create the safe, clean future that we want our children to inherit – and create economic opportunities for NZ firms to commercialise the technology.

Erionite is a natural mineral fibre that forms in volcanic regions, including being newly discovered in the Auckland region of New Zealand. It is similar to asbestos but even more likely to cause cancer when inhaled. When rock and soil containing erionite are disturbed during construction projects e.g. tunnelling, erionite can be released into the air, exposing workers and the general public. Erionite has caused significant health issues in Turkey and the western USA. However in NZ, little is known about where and how much exists. Due to the potential health and safety risks of erionite, it is of utmost importance to determine its distribution, test how easily it is disturbed and, together with the construction industry, develop methods to keep workers and the public safe.

This programme combines a team of geologists, environmental scientists, medical specialists and engineers with industry experts, policy makers, social scientists and community members. The team’s goal is to replace uncertainty with knowledge about the risk posed by erionite, and deliver sound risk assessment and safe management practices, and foster the development of a new high-tech erionite measurement industry with potential for export of services, knowledge and technologies to other countries struggling with erionite contamination.

The World Health Organisation stated that “greater innovation and investment are required in research and development of new antimicrobial medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tools” and published a list of 12 “priority pathogens (superbugs) according to how urgently antibiotics are needed.” New Zealand’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan broadly aims to improve control and detection of antimicrobial resistance. This research programme addresses antimicrobial resistance by focusing on knowledge creation for new antibiotics for human use, to replace and invigorate the exhausted pipeline. Our last lines of chemical defence against multi-drug resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria are antimicrobial peptides produced by environmental microbes. Due to their unique bactericidal mechanisms of action, antimicrobial peptides have a lower tendency to elicit antimicrobial resistance than conventional

antibiotics. Insertion of a lipid tail on a peptide sequence increases its affinity for bacterial membranes and selectivity for specific membrane components. This programmes expands the new antibiotic pipeline by optimising the therapeutic properties of lipopeptide antimicrobial peptides using our patented “Cysteine Lipidation on a Peptide or Amino-acid” (CLipPA) technology. The genomes of both cultivated and uncultivated New Zealand microbiomes will also be mined to discover new lipopeptide scaffolds that possess novel mechanisms of antimicrobial action. We will deliver genome-mined and/or chemically engineered easy-to- manufacture lipopeptide antibiotics with superior antimicrobial activity. The investment will disrupt the current therapeutic paradigm and lead to an innovative NZ pharmaceutical sector that discovers, develops and produces antibiotics, an area of high value growth potential in terms of international revenue and highly paid technical job opportunities.