As New Zealanders looking to the future, we are faced with many opportunities – and challenges. These include improving the health of all our people, advancing our economic growth, protecting our unique environment and encouraging innovation and sustainability.
Many of the issues need new knowledge obtained through scientific research. The New Zealand government set up the National Science Challenges to focus research efforts and seek answers regarding important national-scale issues. At the heart of these challenges were:
- ongoing engagement between scientists, stakeholders and the New Zealand public to identify relevant issues and ensure research outcomes would be effectively communicated and adopted/adapted to the real world
- a collaborative approach across many different areas of research
- Vision Mātauranga – unlocking the innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources and people and increasing Māori participation in scientific research.
The National Science Challenges were established in 2014 and finished in June 2024. They were funded by the New Zealand Government through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Nature of science
The development of the National Science Challenges can teach us a lot about tackling big science-related issues – that science understanding continues to change and grow, that people with different backgrounds and areas of expertise are needed to investigate different aspects and then bring all the thinking together, that science can help us understand issues but it can’t provide all the answers and that, as a public, we are responsible for influencing where and how public money is spent.
The Challenges also demonstrate the enduring nature of scientific research. Although funding for the programmes has ceased, the information generated by the Challenges continues to inform and underpin how we deal with these significant national issues.
The 11 National Science Challenges
The Government used extensive input from scientific communities and the general public to identify 11 important challenges facing New Zealanders. They covered diverse fields, focusing on people, the natural environment, the urban environment and economic development.
Following is a brief introduction to each of the Challenges. Some of the Challenges’ websites will remain live until mid-2026 – others will be available for longer or will be hosted by other institutions. Final reports for each Challenge covering the term of the contract will be published by MBIE by December 2024.
A Better Start: E Tipu e Rea
A Better Start is the National Science Challenge that worked to reduce obesity and improve learning skills and mental health in New Zealand children. The mission of A Better Start was to find better ways to predict, prevent and treat obesity, learning and mental health problems in New Zealand children and teenagers.
Learn more on A Better Start website.
Ageing Well: Kia eke kairangi ki te taikaumātuatanga
The vision of the Ageing Well National Science Challenge was to add life to years for all older New Zealanders. Their research focused on harnessing science to sustain health and wellbeing into the later years of life.
Grandfather and grandson
Older New Zealanders make important contributions to our society, including sharing their knowledge and time with younger generations. The Ageing Well National Science Challenge strove to improve the health of New Zealanders as they age so they continue to play a vital role in society.
The mission of Ageing Well was to push back disability thresholds to enable all New Zealanders to reach their full potential through the life course with particular reference to the latter years of life.
Learn more about Ageing Well. (The website will be available until June 2029.)
Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities: Ko ngā wā kāinga hei whakamāhorahora
There are significant difficulties in New Zealand’s built environment regarding housing supply, the quality of housing and the vulnerabilities and underperformance of our urban environments.
The vision of the Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities National Science Challenge was “Ka ora kāinga rua – Built environments that build communities” – homes, neighbourhoods, towns and cities throughout New Zealand that enable people to enrich their lives and reach their social, cultural and economic potential throughout their life stages.
Learn more about Building Better Homes, Towns and Cities.
Healthier Lives: He Oranga Hauora
The Healthier Lives National Science Challenge aimed to reduce the burden of major New Zealand health problems and sought better prevention, diagnosis and treatment methods for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
It also focused on translating innovations into practical solutions and research into effective health policy and practice.
Learn more about Healthier Lives. (The website will be available until June 2034. Publications and other outputs are archived here.)
High-Value Nutrition: Ko Ngā Kai Whai Painga
New Zealand has an outstanding international reputation as a rich source of high-quality, efficiently produced, safe foods and beverages. As consumers in Asia and around the world increasingly seek foods with proven health benefits, New Zealand’s advantages and national capability make it a natural leader.
The High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge harnessed New Zealand’s world-class scientific expertise to create knowledge that delivers a competitive advantage to New Zealand’s food and beverage exports.
Learn more about High Value Nutrition.
New Zealand's Biological Heritage – Ngā Koiora Tuku Ih
The New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge was created to protect and manage our native biodiversity, improve our biosecurity and enhance our resilience to harmful organisms.
New Zealanders value highly our biological heritage – the natural, production and urban environments in which we live, work and play. These environments underpin our economy, particularly through primary industries and tourism, and our sense of national identity. They also have important cultural and recreational significance.
Learn more about New Zealand’s Biological Heritage. The website will be available until 2027. The BioHeritage National Science Challenge data repository can be accessed here.)
Our Land and Water: Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai
The objective of Our Land and Water National Science Challenge was to enhance primary sector production and productivity while maintaining and improving our land and water quality for future generations.
The Challenge worked to find new ways for farmers, growers and food businesses to create a future with smarter land use, healthier waterways and rewards for environmental stewardship.
Learn more about Our Land and Water. The website will be available until 2030. Resources are available via Figshare.
Resilience to Nature's Challenges: Kia manawaroa – Ngā Ākina o Te Ao Tūroa
The aim of Resilience to Nature’s Challenges was to enhance New Zealand’s ability to recover from natural disasters. Focus areas included geological and weather hazards, fire, coastal hazards, hazards caused by climate change and risk models. It also included resilience in engineering and infrastructure and in society.
Learn more about Resilience to Nature’s Challenges. The website will be available until June 2029.
Science for Technological Innovation: Kia kotahi mai – Te Ao Pūtaiao me Te Ao Hangarau
The Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge held a vision of a future New Zealand with a vibrant and prosperous technology-driven economy, where new businesses offer high-value services and products that may not yet have been invented. With five portfolios and four research themes, its mission was to enhance New Zealand’s capacity to use physical sciences and engineering for economic growth.
Learn more about Science for Technological Innovation.
Sustainable Seas: Ko ngā moana whakauka
The aim of the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge was to enhance the use of New Zealand’s vast marine resources while ensuring that our marine environment is understood, cared for and used wisely for the benefit of all, now and in the future. The Challenge developed an innovative, holistic and inclusive way to manage our marine resources via ecosystem-based management (EBM).
Learn more about Sustainable Seas. The website will be available until June 2029. The Challenge has launched Tohorā, which leverages artificial intelligence to search Sustainable Seas’ extensive research repository.
See the range of content that we have developed using resources from the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge in this handy collection.
The Deep South: Te Kōmata o Te Tonga
The mission of The Deep South National Science Challenge was to enable New Zealanders to adapt, manage risk and thrive in a changing climate.
Working with communities and industry, The Deep South brought together new research approaches to determine the impacts of a changing climate on our climate-sensitive economic sectors, infrastructure and natural resources to guide planning and policy.
The objective set for The Deep South was to understand the role of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean in determining our climate and our future environment.
Learn more about The Deep South. The website will be available until June 2034. Academic papers and similar collateral are available via Figshare.
Activity idea
Several of the National Science Challenges had a focus on resource management and sustainability. The activity Environmental thinking and planning with ecosystem-based management provides students with a framework to consider how they might manage a local area of significance, or plan a local environmental project.
Useful links
Learn more about the National Science Challenges on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment website.
An important strategy sitting alongside the National Science Challenges focuses on increasing New Zealanders’ engagement with science and technology. Read A nation of curious minds – he whenua hihiri i te mahara: A national strategic plan for science in society [PDF, 1.2 MB] to find out more.
