Our Land and Water was a National Science Challenge that ran from 2016 to 2024. Our research is helping the agri-food and fibre industry in Aotearoa navigate pathways to a more healthy, resilient, and prosperous future. What did we do?

We catalogued a wide range of land-use opportunities for Aotearoa that expand the possibilities land managers can see for the future of their land.

We now know where land use needs to change, to meet New Zealanders’ expectations for water quality.

Freshwater Improvement Scenario Builder explores the effect of mitigation strategies and land-use change on water quality.
Interactive maps show water contaminants in excess of 2020 regulations, and the potential for reduction by 2035 using on-farm mitigation strategies:

More information about more land use options is now available to inform financially sound land-use decisions.

Data Supermarket is a repository of data about the ingredients, food and fibre we can grow in New Zealand, now and in the future.
Labour and Land-use Regional Model for Aotearoa helps identify labour requirements for different land uses and ways to mitigate workforce constraints, such as counter-seasonal production.
Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) framework shows the impact of land-use change scenarios on economic, social, cultural and environmental indicators.
Matarau is a website to support land-use decisions for Māori landowners.

Communities can play a major role in land-use transitions, leading local initiatives that support landowners to investigate new opportunities and adopt change together.

Tools for Making Land Use Change Decisions is a learning module for those helping farm businesses make decisions about land use diversification (approx. 75 minutes to complete).
Processes or approaches for groups assessing land-use opportunities:

We have determined which of our catchments are most vulnerable to contamination and why, what their pressures are, and where pressure can be removed through better farm management.

The size of the gap between the current state of our freshwater and our expectations has been mapped consistently across the entire country. This has enabled the identification of areas where mitigation alone won’t be enough to meet our water quality goals.

Research Findings Brief: Current state of water contaminants compared to bottom lines is a briefing document sharing maps depicting the national-scale load reductions required
Management Practices to Improve Water Quality is a learning module to help you support farmers in creating cost-effective freshwater environment plans (approx. 90 minutes to complete)
Our Land and Water Podcast Episode 1: How bad is our water quality, really? – an audio overview of the challenge to improve our freshwater

Catchment groups have an important role in collectively improving water quality, and we now understand how to help these groups meet their own goals and the expectations their funders have of them.

Where next for catchment groups? presents recommendations to help bridge the different perspectives of catchment groups and their funders, to avoid or reduce misalignment
Panel on Catchment Groups Reveals a Key Tension summarises an emerging disconnect between policymakers and catchment groups
Influencing Catchment Group Capability Development Funding from Government is a case study of research that influenced and supported over $32 million of capability funding for catchment groups
Our Land and Water Podcast Episode 6: We can make progress – but we need to work together – an audio overview of the role of catchment groups in leading local initiatives for land-use change

We understand how businesses in New Zealand can meet the needs of consumers overseas by encouraging farm management decisions that produce environmentally friendly products.

The Value Project website explores how Aotearoa New Zealand can generate greater returns from sustainable production
An Early Contribution to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Taste Pure Nature Brand is a case study on research that supported a country-of-origin brand that reached hundreds of millions of people in the US and China
Our Land and Water Podcast Episode 5: How do we pay for change? – an audio overview of solutions and ideas for funding change

We have proven that Māori ways of thinking about land and water can help all farmers and growers produce food in ways that are more resilient, healthy and prosperous.

The systems-thinking, holistic approaches to farming in te ao Māori have been demonstrated to enable effective local solutions, leading the way for others.

Te Ao Māori Approaches to Farming Enable Effective Local Solutions is a case study on research that demonstrates how te ao Māori approaches to farming enables effective local solutions
Eight Iwi and Three Councils' Partnership Responds to Te Mana o Te Wai in Te Tauihu is a case study on research that supported eight iwi and three unitary councils build a partnership

The approaches taken by Māori farms and agribusinesses, such as taking a long-term intergenerational perspective, work to grow export value and are good for our people and environment.

Māori Values Motivate Entrepreneurship is a case study on research that proved Māori agribusinesses value drivers work in synergy, creating an ‘upward spiral’ that motivates innovation and entrepreneurship
Our Land and Water Podcast Episode 7: How Māori agribusiness appoaches could lead the way – an audio overview of leadership being shown by Māori enterprises

How we worked

Our Land and Water was a mission-led programme that conducted research differently. What did we learn from doing research differently?

Strong, ongoing, trusting relationships are the foundation that supports effective research collaborations, and the communication and adoption of research findings.

Multi-institute research collaborations created connections and built durable relationships for future research among more than 1000 Our Land and Water research team members, including researchers from small consultancies, mātauranga Māori practitioners and non-scientists with specialist skills and knowledge.

Centring Māori values in research makes research programmes more inclusive, collaborative, and in touch with communities.

Government is not only an end-user of mission-led research, but can drive allocation of funding by requiring research to fill policy and implementation needs.

Te Tiriti-led and mission-oriented: Assessing Phase 2 of Our Land and Water Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai – a self-assessment on deliberately embedding a te Taiao model in Our Land and Water
National Science Challenge Directors Discuss The Mission-led Approach To Science And Research identifies key features that
commonly seen across the 11 National Science Challenges
Te Tīriti O Waitangi Partnerships Enhances Research, Science And Innovation discusses lessons from the National Science Challenges on developing research and science that honours te Tiriti

Researchers and stakeholders who participated in Our Land and Water projects had to learn new, inclusive, mission-led approaches that built individual capability.

Research teams were resourced for multiple leadership roles, to enable a dual focus on both science excellence (Science Lead) and research impact (Implementation Lead) while building connections and team competency for working with Māori knowledge and communities (Te Ao Maori Lead), and meeting the project's delivery requirements (Project Manager).

Targeted funding mechanisms effectively met the needs of different stakeholder groups and audiences, such as the contestable Rural Professionals Fund, a ‘fast-fail’ fund that aimed to bridge the gap between rural professionals and the science system.

The large number of projects and roles, together with a high level of management support, created safe leadership opportunities for early career researchers, and enabled mature researchers to try new things.

Independence, flexibility and self-direction are important characteristics for an impactful research mission.

The strategic guidance of an independent, stakeholder-dominated, balanced Māori and non-Māori Governance Group was vital to Our Land and Water’s evolution as a mission-led research entity.

Resourcing science communication and rural engagement, both within projects and within the management team, was essential to connect research with its next-users to enable research impact.

We kept close track of projects, were continually available for support, and required thorough quarterly reporting to ensure that research teams delivered their contracted outputs.