Scientists warn that shutting Palmerston North FoodHQ could curb NZ food innovation

The North Island’s FoodHQ research campus, established in 2013 to accelerate food science and technology, will cease operations after its private-public board decided to disband the entity. Board members - Plant and Food Research (now the Bioeconomy Science Institute), Palmerston North City Council and Fonterra - cited funding shifts and the creation of the BSI as reasons for the decision. Troy Baisden, an adjunct professor and former co-president of the Association of Scientists, described the closure as a long-term problem that could stall New Zealand’s capacity to turn agricultural outputs into high-value products.

He noted that FoodHQ’s work on emerging proteins, dairy innovation and aquaculture was essential for building a skilled workforce. Chief executive Victoria Hatton, who also led the E Tipu Future Food and Fibre Summit, saw the move as part of a broader trend of simplifying the science system. The centre’s annual revenue of $840,000, half of which came from its shareholders, will no longer support its research activities, raising concerns about future public-private collaboration in the sector.