The Land and the brand

The Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit at Lincoln University was commissioned to prepare this report assessing the contributions that the agri‐food sector has made to the wellbeing of New Zealanders over the decades and in the present day. The purpose of this research is to indicate how industry‐led initiatives and private‐public partnerships might build on the sector’s historical successes for ongoing economic prosperity into the future. The agri‐food sector continues to dominate the country’s merchandise exports. The dairy sector in 2013/14 generated export revenue of just over $18 billion, followed by meat and wool (more than$8 billion), forestry (more than $5.1 billion), horticulture (nearly$3.8 billion) and seafood (more than $1.7 billion)

Economic development: a review of key themes in the international literature

This report has been commissioned by the Ministry of Transport to provide an overview of how economies can be supported to develop and grow. It focuses on how capabilities can be expanded through: investment in physical capital; investment in human capital (education); and investment in new knowledge creation and utilisation. The AERU at Lincoln University was commissioned by the Ministry of Transport to prepare a report reviewing the economics literature on approaches to economic development. The report does not aim to consider the relationship between transport and the economy: this will take place at a subsequent stage. Instead, the purpose of the report is to provide a general readership with an overview of the major themes in research by economists on how economies can be supported to develop and grow

The contribution of Antarctic-related activities to the New Zealand Economy

In 2007, the AERU at Lincoln University was commissioned by the Canterbury Development Corporation (funded by Antarctica New Zealand) to prepare a report on The Contribution of Antarctic-Related Activities to the Canterbury and New Zealand Economies (Saunders et al, 2007). That report concentrated on the local and national impacts of Antarctic-related activities based in Canterbury. Thus, it included Antarctic-related research at the Gateway Antarctica programme of the University of Canterbury, for example, but not research at the Antarctic Research Centre of Victoria University of Wellington. The 2007 study found that the direct impact on the Canterbury economy was at least $87.6 million per annum, which was estimated to be associated with 676 full-time equivalent jobs in the region. The direct impact on the New Zealand economy was estimated to be$133.2 million, supporting 965 full-time equivalent jobs. Taking into account multiplier impacts, the direct, indirect and induced impacts amounted to $155.1 million in Canterbury and$282.0 million in New Zealand. In 2013, Antarctica New Zealand commissioned the AERU to update and extend its 2007 study. In particular, the AERU was asked to consider significant Antarctic-related activities outside as well as inside the Canterbury region. The role of Christchurch as a ‘gateway city’ to the Antarctic means that his report retains a focus on the Canterbury region, but the authors have attempted a wider national scope in its analysis

Woodland caribou calf recruitment in relation to calving/post-calving landscape composition

Since the 1990s, Newfoundland’s woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) population has declined by an estimated 66%. Low calf recruitment has been associated to the decline, possibly triggered by increasing calf predation and/or decreasing resources. To investigate the role of landscape composition in this system, we studied the yearly (2005-2008) calving/post-calving range (CPCR) of 104 satellite-collared females belonging to six herds. We mapped nine disturbance factors (e.g. roads, logging, etc), as well as vegetation cover types (e.g. coniferous, deciduous forests, etc), and determined the total area they occupied within CPCRs yearly for each herd. Using an information theoretic approach, we assessed the model that best explained variation in recruitment using these components. Based on corrected Akaike Information Criterion, the model that best explained variation in calf recruitment included total disturbance and deciduous forest area, both showing the expected negative relationship with calf recruitment. Other landscape variables among the models with ΔAICc < 2 were mixed forest, also with a suggested negative relationship, and barrens and wetlands with a significant positive trend. This study highlights the need to minimize total disturbance footprint and account for resulting changes in forest composition within CPCRs during land use planning. Expanding forestry operations and road infrastructure in critical woodland caribou habitat across Canada may additionally contribute to habitat loss via fragmentation. This in turn, may lead to range recession beyond the initial local avoidance footprint. We see the possibility of using calf recruitment models based on landscape parameters, among others, to predict the impact of new industrial developments on calf recruitment

Beijing beef consumer consumption behaviours and product preferences: A Latent Class Analysis of New Zealand beef tenderloin

This study is part of a research programme entitled Unlocking Export Prosperity from the Agri-food Values of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour Fund for science research programmes. The research aims to provide new knowledge on how local enterprises can achieve higher returns by ensuring global consumers understand the distinctive qualities of the physical, credence and cultural attributes of agri-food products that are “Made in New Zealand”. Agricultural exports are an important contributor to the New Zealand (NZ) economy. While NZ historically relied on key markets such as the United Kingdom for export trade, NZ has more recently significantly expanded its export markets and China has become established as an important beef product destination. It is critically important for NZ exporters to understand export markets and the different cultures and preferences of those consumers to safeguard market access, and for realising potential premiums. This report describes the application of a survey of Beijing beef tenderloin consumers that is designed to examine consumption behaviour and consumer willingness-to-Pay (WTP) for credence attributes. While search attributes such as price or colour can be observed directly, and experience attributes such as flavour can be assessed when consumed, credence attributes such as environmental sustainability cannot be immediately seen or experienced at the point of sale. For products promoting credence attributes, the role of verification, including labelling, is of significant importance. Our approach is to apply a Discrete Choice Experiment economic valuation method, analysed using a statistical approach called Latent Class Modelling that describes profiles for different consumer segments identified in the data and provides estimates of attribute WTP across these segments

Japanese kiwifruit consumer consumption behaviours and product preferences: A Latent Class Analysis of New Zealand kiwifruit

This study is part of a research programme entitled Unlocking Export Prosperity from the Agri-food Values of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour Fund for science research programmes. Information on this research programme including reports of other surveys is available from the AERU website https://www.aeru.co.nz/projects/uep. The research aims to provide new knowledge on how local enterprises can achieve higher returns by ensuring global consumers understand the distinctive qualities of the physical, credence and cultural attributes of agri-food products that are “Made in New Zealand”. Agricultural exports are an important contributor to the New Zealand (NZ) economy. While NZ historically relied on key markets such as the United Kingdom for export trade, NZ has more recently significantly expanded its export markets and Japan has become established as an important kiwifruit destination. It is critically important for NZ exporters to understand export markets and the different cultures and preferences of those consumers to safeguard market access, and for realising potential premiums. This report describes the application of a survey of Japanese kiwifruit consumers that is designed to examine consumption behaviour and consumer Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) for credence attributes. While search attributes such as price or colour can be observed directly, and experience attributes such as flavour or texture can be assessed when consumed, credence attributes such as environmental sustainability cannot be immediately seen or experienced at the point of sale. For products promoting credence attributes, the role of verification including labelling is of significant importance. Our approach is to apply a Discrete Choice Experiment economic valuation method, analysed using a statistical approach called Latent Class Modelling that describes profiles for different consumer segments identified in the data and provides estimates of attribute WTP across these segments

Computational analyses of the surface properties of protein–protein interfaces

This paper presents a survey of techniques that explore the surface properties of protein:protein interfaces so as to inform the prediction of probable sites of protein:protein interaction on newly determined protein structures

The contribution of Antarctic-related activities to the Canterbury and New Zealand economy

This report builds on earlier work conducted by the Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit (AERU) at Lincoln University; and it assesses the contribution of Antarctic-related activities to the Canterbury and New Zealand economies. These previous projects have shown that these contributions are significant (Saunders et al, 2007; 2013). The report, as in previous reports, also considers issues around the Antarctica activities for the businesses and other stakeholders as well as new initiatives of Antarctic-related activities with potential to benefit the Canterbury and New Zealand economics in the future. The research methods used in this project included interviews with senior staff members from key organisations to obtain information and data about Antarctic-related activities, and an economic impact analysis of Antarctic-related activities in Canterbury and New Zealand was conducted