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Three Summer Students Assisting With B3 Research Projects

December 14th, 2020 Three summer students are adding their enthusiasm and expertise to the B3 team over the coming months assisting researchers with their projects.

University of Canterbury Engineering Students Investigate Novel Way to Protect Our Borders From Biosecurity Threats

December 4th, 2020 A group of engineering students from the University of Canterbury has worked with AgResearch scientist Mark McNeill to develop technology that can detect external contamination on shipping containers while not impacting on port operations. 

B3 Science Partnership Forum a Success

October 22nd, 2020 B3 hosted a successful and productive virtual Science Partnership Forum on 15 October, with over 80 participants taking part in the day-long event.

Biosecurity Trail at Auckland Botanic Gardens a Finalist at the Biosecurity Awards

September 23rd, 2020 The Biosecurity Trail at the Auckland Botanic Gardens has been selected as a finalist in the New Zealand Biosecurity Awards.

Building up Understanding of Xylella fastidiosa

August 30th, 2020 Better Border Biosecurity (B3) has started work on a new five-year project looking at Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), and its New Zealand vectors. Xf is a serious invasive pathogen currently spreading through the world and is of serious concern for many NZ productive sectors as well as the natural estate.

New Zealand Scientists Contribute to New Paper on Science Diplomacy for Plant Health

August 17th, 2020 B3 Director David Teulon is among several New Zealand researchers, including Veronica Herrera and Aurelie Castinel from MPI, to contribute to an article about science diplomacy for plant health, published last week in Nature Plants.

New Zealand scientists share knowledge with their global peers

August 2nd, 2020 Scientists in Aotearoa are collaborating and learning from experts across the globe about plants, pests and diseases.

New Projects Add to Research Line-up for the Better Border Biosecurity (B3) Science Collaboration

July 24th, 2020 Six new plant border biosecurity projects started in July 2020, adding to an already extensive suite of work currently being led by New Zealand’s B3 research collaboration.

B3 Virtual Research Update Meetings a Success

June 30th, 2020 A set of virtual meetings that included up to 100 people involved with, and interested in the work of New Zealand’s Better Border Biosecurity (B3) research collaboration has been heralded a success with plans for a repeat of event in the future already under way.

Trans-Tasman Plant Border Biosecurity Research Partners Looks to Strengthen Their Collaboration

June 22nd, 2020 The value and importance of trans-Tasman biosecurity research connections between Australia’s Plant Biosecurity Research Institute (PBRI) and New Zealand’s Better Border Biosecurity (B3) have been affirmed and strengthened following a recent virtual meeting of the organisations’ Chairs and Directors.

Facing Covid -19 and future pandemics. What can we learn from New Zealand’s biosecurity system?

By David Teulon June 16th, 2020 Moving forward, an important question raised by COVID-19 now facing New Zealand, is, how will the country be able to interact with the outside world without risking further infection from this or future pandemics?

Holden Hohaia and Melanie Mark-Shadbolt appointed to the B3 Collaboration Council

June 8th, 2020 The Better Border Biosecurity (B3) research collaboration has appointed two Māori members, Holden Hohaia and Melanie Mark-Shadbolt, to its Collaboration Council.

B3 under COVID-19 A message to our community April 2020

By David Teulon and James Buwalda April 14th, 2020 This update from the Better Border Biosecurity (B3) Collaboration Council Chair James Buwalda and Director David Teulon outlines the collaboration’s response to the current COVID-19 situation.

International Year of Plant Health Underway in New Zealand

February 21st, 2020 The United Nations’ has declared 2020 to be the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH), which aims to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.

Strategy refresh for B3 underway

February 11th, 2020 A strategy refresh for B3 - New Zealand’s largest single provider of plant border biosecurity science outcomes - is underway and will be implemented within the next six to 12 months.

First B3 Co-Investment Committee Meeting a Success

January 13th, 2020 The first meeting of B3’s Co-Investment Committee was held in Lincoln at the end of 2019, with strong support coming from industry and MPI for the initiative, according to Director David Teulon.

B3 Awards and Recognition

By David Teulon December 16th, 2019 Barbara Barratt’s more than four decades of dedication to research has been recognised with the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award by Science New Zealand.

Video shows how live traps can be used for adult brown marmorated stink bugs

December 2nd, 2019 A video showing Dr Max Suckling talking about the traps can be viewed here.

European Connections

By David Teulon December 2nd, 2019 B3 Director David Teulon’s recent visit to Europe has strengthened critical research connections with networks working in the areas of plant biosecurity.

Enemy #1 – Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

November 20th, 2019 The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is a very long name for the greatest threat to New Zealand’s biosecurity as we know it.

Understanding Rusts, fungal invaders of Aotearoa

By David Teulon November 19th, 2019 Since February, the Year 10 Mātauranga Māori class at Aorere College (Papatoetoe, South Auckland) has been supported by regular lessons with the scientists at Plant & Food Research as part of an "Unlocking Curious Minds" Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) project.

New Zealanders/B3 at the PBRI Plant Biosecurity Symposium

By David Teulon November 1st, 2019 The PBRI Plant Biosecurity Research Symposium was held at the Queensland State Library in Brisbane on the 15 and 16 August.

Measuring Biosecurity excellence in port communities

By David Teulon November 1st, 2019 The Port of Tauranga (PoT) is New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing port, processing a large volume of goods, from diverse origins.

Stinkbugs. Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

By Newsroom November 1st, 2019 The stink bug hasn’t become established in New Zealand yet - or at least biosecurity officials don’t think it has.

Biosecurity trail empowers visitors to protect New Zealand flora

By David Teulon May 16th, 2019 A new walking trail at the Auckland Botanic Gardens will give locals and overseas visitors a chance to learn about New Zealand’s flora as well as the role they play in protecting it.

Learning local: Tauranga biosecurity unit turns 5 year olds into scientists

February 5th, 2019 Better Border Biosecurity (B3) researchers are increasingly involved with the translation of their science to the broader community, including iwi, and are therefore playing an active role growing in NZ’s Biosecurity Team of 4.7 Million.

B3 part of the fight against devastating disease begins

By David Teulon February 5th, 2019 New Zealand’s horticulture and wine industry groups are pleased to have been awarded a Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) Tere grant to progress research into an invasive and unwanted plant pathogen spreading overseas.

Some of the students working on B3 projects over the 2018-19 summer

January 10th, 2019 A big welcome to the summer students working on B3 and aligned projects over the coming months with various B3 partners. We hope this will inspire you to a career in biosecurity.

More fame for Laura Nixon’s BMSB work

January 9th, 2019 Recently, researchers at Lincoln University (in Christchurch) and Better Border Biosecurity (B3) in New Zealand teamed with scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to study the dynamics of diapausing invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys).

Australia and NZ join forces on plant biosecurity research

November 21st, 2018 Australia and New Zealand have entered into a new collaboration to strengthen plant biosecurity research.

Scientists hone in on where pests come from

August 31st, 2018 A team of scientists at the Bio-Protection Research Centre working within B3 is working to make Biosecurity New Zealand’s (BNZ) pest incursion investigators jobs much easier.

Biosecurity awareness in port communities

July 29th, 2018 Tauranga is home to New Zealand's busiest port. Last year it handled more than eight million tonnes of imported goods. That's a lot of cargo for pests, weeds and diseases to hide amongst.

Recent recognition of B3 science

June 28th, 2018 There have been several outstanding examples of B3 research being recognised by the wider biosecurity community in recent weeks.

BMSB: an imminent threat to Australia and New Zealand workshop

June 15th, 2018

The best B3 conference yet

May 24th, 2018 More than 150 biosecurity professionals gathered for the Third B3 Conference at Te Papa, Wellington this year, for what, according to Chris Green from DoC, was “the best yet”.

Opinion: Finding fruit flies doesn’t mean the system is broken

By David Teulon, Karen Armstrong and John Kean April 4th, 2018 The detection of fruit flies in the Auckland region might lead people to wonder if our biosecurity system is failing.

Scientists discuss sex-less insects

March 27th, 2018 Twenty experts from South America, Africa, India, Canada and Europe met in Palmerston North recently to discuss advances in the sterile insect technique – a developing weapon against insect pests.

Contribution of b3 researchers recognised by the science community.

February 22nd, 2018 A number of B3 researchers have been recognised by their peers for their outstanding professional contribution to bioprotection and biosecurity on invasive species.

B3 refreshes its scientific programme

October 27th, 2017 A major refresh of B3 research was undertaken between August 2016 and June 2017 building upon the numerous achievements of B3 over the last 10 years.

Attempts to stop BMSB establishing in NZ recognised in the USA

September 15th, 2017 Attempts to STOP BMSB from establishing in New Zealand, and the assistance we are receiving from US scientists, are being highlighted in America.

NZ US invasive species workshop sets a bright future for collaborative research

September 15th, 2017 About 20 US and 40 NZ scientists met in Auckland in the last week of August 2017 to explore research initiatives to prevent the establishment or mitigate the impact of invasive vertebrate, invertebrates, pathogens and weeds.

Survival of soil organisms a wake-up call for bio-security

September 6th, 2017 Tiny creatures in soil that attack plants have shown the ability to survive for at least three years in new research, giving new insights into the bio-security threats posed by passenger travel and trade between countries.

B3 congratulates recent New Zealand biosecurity award winners

August 10th, 2017 Last week (2 August 2017) The Hon Nathan Guy recognised individuals, communities and organisations that have made a positive difference to New Zealand's biosecurity at an awards ceremony at Parliament in Wellington.

Competition focuses male wasp’s mating mind

June 22nd, 2017 Scientists at Plant & Food Research, B3 (Better Border Biosecurity), Scion and the University of Auckland have been studying the ‘bedroom’ behaviour of the parasitoid wasp Cotesia urabae to better understand the insects’ mating activity and preferences.

Throwing ants off the scent

June 22nd, 2017 Scientists at Plant & Food Research, B3 (Better Border Biosecurity) and the University of Auckland have been researching Argentine ants to determine how odour and physical cues help them to forage for food.

New trans-tasman partnership takes the fight to myrtle rust

June 20th, 2017 B3 partners, Plant & Food Research (PFR) and Scion, have been successful in the latest round of science investment funding from MBIE’s Catalyst Strategic Fund for a project addressing the threat of myrtle rust to New Zealand.

New Zealand scientists meet to mitigate the impact of myrtle rust

May 30th, 2017 About 50 researchers met in Christchurch on 15 May to brain-storm science solutions with which to mitigate the impact of myrtle rust after the disease was found for the first time in New Zealand on Raoul Island (announced 4 April) and in the North Island (announced 4 May).

MYRTLE RUST INCURSION ON RAOUL ISLAND REINFORCES THE NEED FOR PREPAREDNESS AND VIGILANCE

April 7th, 2017 The current myrtle rust incursion on the small New Zealand territory of Raoul Island (1050km north of Cape Reinga) is a severe wake-up call about the threat of invasive plant pathogens to our productive and natural plant systems.