New Partnership signed. BACK ROW: UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds; Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luxon; UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed. FRONT ROW: AgriZeroNZ Chief Executive, Wayne McNee; Innovate UK Programme Manager – Global Innovation Missions, Dr. Peter Dirken.
AgriZeroNZ has entered a new partnership with Britain’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK. According to a press release, Innovate UK and AgriZeroNZ will work together as investor partners, combining grant funding, investment and expertise to stimulate research and development into reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
The partnership was confirmed in London on Tuesday evening (today NZT) with the signing of an agreement at an event hosted by Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, to celebrate connections between the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Wayne McNee, AgriZeroNZ Chief Executive, said the partnership is expected to unlock new investment opportunities to support its ambition to ensure all farmers in Aotearoa New Zealand have equitable access to affordable, effective solutions to reduce biogenic methane and nitrous oxide emissions.
“The UK is highly regarded as a thriving hub for innovation and we’re excited to tap into this network of high potential businesses across the agritech system with Innovate UK.”
The partnership complements AgriZeroNZ’s diverse investment portfolio which includes UK start up Agroceutical Products, a previous Innovate UK funding recipient. AgriZeroNZ is setting up a new entity with the company in New Zealand and investing up to £2m to investigate how its daffodil extracts could be used as a methane inhibitor to reduce agricultural emissions. (NAN/AgriZeroNZ 24-04-25)
About AgriZeroNZ
AgriZeroNZ is a world-first public-private joint venture focused on helping farmers cut emissions while maintaining their competitive edge. Established on 1 February 2023, the joint venture is half owned by the New Zealand government through the Ministry for Primary Industries and the other half owned by private sector companies – The a2 Milk Company, ANZ Bank New Zealand, ANZCO, ASB Bank, BNZ, Fonterra, Rabobank, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms and Synlait. Private sector funding is matched by Government, dollar-for-dollar, to provide $191 million over AgriZeroNZ’s first four years.
AgriZeroNZ is part of the Government’s Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions alongside the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (est 2009). More info: AgriZeroNZ website
