Who's behind the news?
Who's behind the news?
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Newsjunkie.net is a resource guide for journalists. We show who's behind the news, and provide tools to help navigate the modern business of information.
Use of Data
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Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research was a New Zealand Crown Research Institute focused on terrestrial ecology, biodiversity, and land sustainability. It maintained a suite of nationally significant biological collections and data services covering land, soil, biodiversity, and vegetation, freely accessible to researchers, government, and the public. In 2025, Manaaki Whenua was amalgamated with AgResearch, Plant & Food Research, and Scion to form the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science (Maianga Taiao).
Manaaki Whenua was originally part of New Zealand's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). It was established as an independent Crown Research Institute in 1992 when the New Zealand government restructured its science system. The name Manaaki Whenua, meaning 'to care for the land' in Māori, was adopted to reflect the institute's purpose. On 1 July 2025, it was integrated into the newly formed New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science.
Manaaki Whenua curated several nationally significant collections and databases. These included the Allan Herbarium (over 550,000 specimens of New Zealand plants), the New Zealand Fungarium (PDD), housing 109,584 dried fungal specimens, the International Collection of Microorganisms from Plants (over 20,000 specimens), the Land Resource Inventory System (LRIS), the National Vegetation Survey, the New Zealand Plants Database (Ngā Tipu o Aotearoa), and the Systematics Collections Data portal. The institute also maintained BioBlitz species survey data and published soil, land-cover, and biodiversity datasets through its Soils Portal and DataStore.
Data and resources from Manaaki Whenua were and remain publicly accessible through a range of portals including lris.scinfo.org.nz (land resource data), datastore.landcareresearch.co.nz, and the Systematics Collections Data website. Following the 2025 amalgamation, collections and data services are maintained by Maianga Taiao.
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Gerald Street, Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand (former HQ)
Website: landcareresearch.co.nz
Note: As of 1 July 2025, Manaaki Whenua has been integrated into the New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science (Maianga Taiao).