Category Archives: Past Events

Thursday 1 July: Fermented foods – what’s brewing?

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Professor Steve Flint
Professor of Food Safety and Microbiology, School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University.

Date: 6.00pm Thursday 1 July 2021

Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, EIT Taradale

Admission: Gold coin donation

Steve will start by discussing the different microbes that are used to ferment food – yeasts, moulds and bacteria. He’ll explain the differences in fermentation results with wild microbes and those that are commercially available.

Fermentation has a long history in the food industry as a method to preserve natural sources of food. Foods such as cheeses, yoghurts, wines and beers are examples of traditional foods that are widely consumed today. However, there are changes towards a new range of fermented foods, driven by the potential effects on our health and the search for novel sensory experiences.

The latest Institute of Food Technology journal identifies some of the most recent trends in fermented foods in the USA. For example, sales of yoghurt fell by 6% in 2019, while sales of skyr Icelandic-style yoghurt jumped 23%. High protein fermented plant-based foods, such as tempeh and seitan, are attracting interest from consumers. Products such as Gochujang, a fermented Korean red pepper paste, is becoming a trendy condiment in the US. Fermented flavours such as miso, kohi and yuzu kosho are of growing interest. In the US, sales of kombucha grew 43% in 2018 and we are seeing a similar trend in NZ, with kombucha filling supermarket shelves. We appear to be entering a new era of consumer interest in fermented foods, providing new opportunities for the food industry.

Steve Flint teaches food safety and microbiology at Massey University in Palmerston North. He has a background in the dairy industry, having worked for the Fonterra Research Centre for 20 years before joining Massey University in 2008. Steve has a team of 10 research students working on various aspects of food microbiology.

Matariki – Stories of the Stars

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Using all the facilities of the Holt Planetarium, join Planetarium Director Gary Sparks on an exploration of the science, the cultural significance and the international celebration that is Matariki.

Session times: Friday 02 July at 7pm, Saturday 03 July at 7pm and Sunday 04 July at 2pm.

Venue: Hawke’s Bay Holt Planetarium, Chambers Street (on the grounds of Napier Boys High School).

Admission: $20 per person, payable on the night. Cash only, no EFTPOS facilities.

Advanced booking is required. To book, contact the Planetarium 06 834 4345 or gary@holtplanetarium.org.nz

Monday 21 June: Regenerative Agriculture’s Importance for New Zealand

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Associate Professor Edgar Burns

Date: Monday 21 June 2021 at 6.00pm

Venue: EIT Lecture Theatre 1, 501 Gloucester Street, Taradale

Regenerative agriculture is a set of farming principles and practices that enrich soils and improve water quality and management. It is a farmer-led movement that reduces tilling, fertilizer and spray use, and increases ground cover. Regen ag shifts from maximizing production to maximizing profit, animal and farmer wellbeing. Environmentally, it approaches farming as a biological system. The term ‘regenerative’ acknowledges that simply being ‘sustainable’ at present levels of agricultural damage is no longer sufficient.

Dr Edgar Burns will talk about how regenerative agriculture could benefit New Zealand. He outlines the main features of ‘regen ag’ and gives answers to several questions: 1) How does this farmer-led movement support rural viability? 2) How does it mesh with government water and environment policies? 3) How does the media buzz compare with what critics say?
Social science research frames conventional science answers in new ways that include wellbeing and motivation.

Edgar Burns is an Associate Professor at Waikato University and currently Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Chair of Integrated Catchments. He is also a member of the MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries) TAG (Technical Advisory Group) for regenerative agriculture.

Friday 21 May: Demographic Change in a COVID World : Implications for Hawkes Bay

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Friday 21 May 2021 at 6.00pm
EIT Lecture Theatre 1, 501 Gloucester Street, Taradale
Admission by gold coin donation

Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley FRSNZ

Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley FRSNZ, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University Auckland

In the 2010-2020 period, New Zealand experienced major demographic change : declining fertility, rapid population ageing, and the highest ever net migration gains. All these had implications for New Zealand’s regions, including Hawkes Bay. COVID has confirmed some of these changes and accelerated others. This has become obvious in Hawkes Bay over the picking and processing in the 2020-2021 summer and the reliance on temporary overseas labour. This was always going to be unsustainable and COVID has confirmed this with considerable emphasis. Hawkes Bay will be a very different place in 2030. This talk discusses demographic change – past and future – and the implications for Hawkes Bay.

Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley was, until recently, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, at Massey University. He is the author or editor of 27 books, including Rebooting the Regions (2016) and The “New” New Zealand. Facing Demographic Disruption (2020). He is currently writing a book on the extreme right in this country. He is a Programme Leader of a research programme on the impacts of immigration and diversity on Aotearoa (MBIE, 2014-2021, $6 million). He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2011 and was granted the title of Distinguished Professor by Massey University in 2013. 

Thursday 22 April 2021: The Circular Bioeconomy: 3D and 4D printing of bio-based materials

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Thursday 22 April 2021 – 6:00 PM
EIT Lecture Theatre 1, 501 Gloucester Street, Taradale
Admission by gold coin donation

Dr Marie-Joo Le Guen is a Research Leader in Additive Technologies

Dr Marie-Joo Le Guen is a Research Group Leader in Materials, Engineering and Manufacturing at Scion

 Additive manufacturing (AM), including 3D and 4D printing, encompasses some of the most promising technologies currently available. News stories regularly appear featuring exciting creations or innovations, from houses to human hearts, all made possible with AM technologies. Scion anticipates that AM will continue to be one of the biggest and most influential technologies worldwide. As New Zealand transitions to a circular bioeconomy, AM will be a core manufacturing technology going forward.  New Zealand has particularly promising arguments for using AM in our journey to a circular bioeconomy. Our small nation is rich in renewable natural materials that can create the new polymers, composites and other performance filaments that are needed to replace the fossil-based products currently in use.  Scion has 20 years of research and development experience in biomaterials and 10 years in AM; this is forming the basis of a new, innovative manufacturing sector for New Zealand. Looking to the future, our vision for AM includes cross-disciplinary opportunities with other advanced related technologies such as robotics, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence.  Coupling this highly adaptive technology with the innovative kiwi-mindset, a small but young manufacturing sector, and easy production near supplies of biomass, is a recipe for success. This technology will also bring new opportunities to decrease reliance on some imported materials, while increasing exportable products. These factors and more are the reasons to make AM the next big manufacturing direction in New Zealand. 
Scion is a Crown Research Institute that specialises in research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood product, wood-derived materials, and other biomaterial sectors. Dr Marie-Joo Le Guen is a Research Group Leader at Scion. Her background is in materials science and additive manufacturing. 

Tuesday 13 April 2021: Two Williams, one Microscope

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EIT Lecture Theatre 1, EIT at 6pm

Ian St George MD FLS

preceded by a short presentation of the microscope itself by former President of the Branch, Dr Elizabeth Pishief

Admission by gold coin donation

In 1890, Rev. William Colenso FRS FLS was Secretary and Dr William Isaac Spencer FLS MRCS President of the Hawke’s Bay Philosophical Institute, the forerunner to our branch of the Royal Society. The two collaborated in several of their scientific studies and both used Spencer’s microscope. This talk presents details of the lives of both men, with some emphasis on their scientific achievements.

Ian St George is a general medical practitioner, amateur orchidologist and writer of several biographies of New Zealanders, including both William Colenso and William Spencer.

Monday 29 March 2021: 1931 Earthquake Commemorative Lecture

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Monday 29 March 2021 – 6.00pm

Doors open at 5.30pm

As space is limited and there are no reservations, first come, first seated

Dr Philip Barnes, NIWA

National Aquarium, Marine Parade, Napier

The Hikurangi Subduction Zone is New Zealand’s largest fault system, extending from north of East Cape to Kaikōura and >100 km offshore of the East Coast. The submarine borderland defines the region where the Pacific tectonic plate is plunging westward (subducting) beneath eastern North and South islands. The seascape and underlying geology of the Hikurangi margin vary dramatically along its length, mirroring changes in sedimentation, active geological faulting, and seismic processes. Dr Philip Barnes will take you on a visual tour of the offshore margin and illustrate how Earth scientists are using seafloor mapping, marine geophysical surveys, and ocean-floor drilling data to improve our understanding of this hazardous subduction zone.

Dr Philip Barnes is a Principal Scientist with more than 30 years research experience in the fields of submarine tectonic deformation, subduction systems, geohazards, and sedimentary systems associated with active continental margins.

Wednesday 10 March 2021: eOceans – Mobile Technology for Ocean Monitoring (in Conjunction with Seaweek 2021)

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Wednesday 10 March 2021 – 6.00pm

Doors open at 5.30pm

As space is limited and there are no reservations, first come, first seated

Admission by gold coin donation

Dr Laura Jordan-Smith, Marine Biologist, co-founder of World Below the Waves

National Aquarium, Marine Parade, Napier

Using a simple mobile phone app New Zealanders now have the opportunity to join a global science initiative to help track the health of the world’s oceans and marine life. The first project to use the eOceans platform, entitled Our Ocean in Covid-19, will collate observation data submitted by community members to determine what impacts changes in human behaviour due to the Covid-19 pandemic have had on the ocean and coastal communities. Citizen scientists are being encouraged to record observations of human and animal activities whenever they are in, on or close to the ocean. Lead researchers will then collate and analyse data collected from around the world to identify local and global trends related to changes in ocean activity throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and into a new normal. The project may also establish a proof-of-concept as to how real-time, collaborative ocean monitoring can be used to break down barriers between academia, government, and at-sea stakeholders to support more inclusive progress toward managing ocean resources, economies and conservation in the future. In New Zealand, eOceans is represented and championed by Dr Laura Jordan-Smith. Laura will describe the eOceans platform and mobile app, give us a demonstration, and discuss the power of citizen-sourced data for global ecological research.

Dr Laura Jordan-Smith completed her PhD at UCLA in 2008 studying stingray sensory biology. She has since conducted projects on topics ranging from penguin ­flipper morphology to shark bycatch reduction. Her research has taken her to various countries including the US, Australia, Fiji and Honduras, and her work has been published in several top journals and presented at conferences in the US and abroad. She has taught hands-on marine science courses at the University of San Diego, UCLA, at various marine labs around the US, including Shoals Marine Laboratory, and internationally in Fiji and Honduras.  Laura’s keen interest in science communication and education lead her to establishing World Below the Waves, a collective of US-based marine biologists who develop workshops, lectures, tours and  other events to educate and enthuse the public about the diverse and beautiful life that exists in the sea. Laura moved to Auckland in mid-2019 and, with common interests in improving public science  engagement, World Below the Waves and eOceans have recently teamed up to bring this exciting citizen science initiative to New Zealand.