On Friday, October 3, 2025, Dr. John Roche, Chief Science Advisor to New Zealand Prime Minister, along with three officials from the New Zealand Embassy to Japan, graciously visited NARO.
First, they toured the Agro-Field Lysimeter Facility with the Greenhouse Gas Monitoring System at the Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences. During the facility tour, there was a lively exchange of opinions on topics such as the "Global Research Alliance (GRA) on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases*", an international network aimed at GHG emission reduction established through the initiative of New Zealand. They then moved to the NARO Genebank of the Research Center of Genetic Resources (NGRC), where presentations were delivered from the NGRC including an episode in which the NARO Genebank had returned some of its genetic resources to Māori people in New Zealand **.
After touring the two facilities, they had a meeting with President KYUMA Kazuo. During the meeting Dr. Roche showed great interest in the bacterium in cattle rumen that NARO had discovered can reduce methane emissions from cattle, as it could help reduce GHG emissions from livestock production in New Zealand. According to Dr. Roche, reducing GHG emissions from livestock production is a critical issue for New Zealand because agricultural emissions account for 50% of New Zealand's emissions and most of these emissions are from livestock production. As well as that, they discussed biochar and smart agriculture technologies.
Dr. Roche commented that New Zealand is currently in the process of integrating and reorganizing public research institutes. He also said they have been focusing on NARO because it has already undergone reorganization, and they look forward to strengthening international collaboration between NARO and New Zealand research institutes. If we can identify promising themes through future exchanges, we expect to build cooperative relationships that will serve the mutual interests of both countries.
*Global Research Alliance (GRA): Established in 2009 under the leadership of New Zealand as an international research network aimed at reducing GHG emissions in the agricultural sector. Currently, 68 countries, including Japan, are members of the Alliance. It consists of three research groups - Livestock, Croplands, and Paddy Rice - as well as the Integrative Research Group.
**Genetic Resources Returned to New Zealand: "Kūmara" ("sweet potato" in the Māori language) was a staple food of the Māori people of New Zealand. Some varieties of kūmara had been preserved in the NARO Genebank. In 1988, a "Repatriation Ceremony" was held to return these varieties for cultivation in New Zealand.
