Title: Bending Strength of Cross-Laminated Timber Beams Loaded in Plane

Summary: This NZPA-supported project, in partnership with Red Stag TimberLab Ltd., investigated the bending strength of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) beams. A review of literature and industry practices on New Zealand timber, including CLT and Glued Laminated Timber (GLT), informed the research approach. The study involved 130 material tests to assess timber behaviour, alongside finite element modelling to simulate CLT beam performance under in-plane loading. A parametric study identified key factors influencing bending strength, leading to the development of practical design guidelines for CLT beams under such conditions.

Industry Partner: Red Stag TimberLab Ltd

Title:Marine energy for aquafarming businesses in New Zealand

Summary: This project will showcase some of our recent activities on developing marine energy devices for supplying electrical energy to aquaculture farms in New Zealand. In particular, we will present our recent wave energy device prototype deployed at NZ King Salmon farm in Ruakaka.

Industry Partners: NZ King Salmon, Aotea Marine Farms, Aquaculture NZ

Title: Developing new fish swimming technology for sustainable aquaculture

Summary: Exercise is known to improve the productivity, quality and welfare of fish but exercise is not currently used as a management technique in aquaculture because water flows cannot be controlled in high volume systems. A new “moving light” system is therefore being developed for commercial aquaculture by Assoc Prof Neill Herbert and his team in the Institute of Marine Science. Tests in tanks have been successful but a system fit for long term deployment under harsh marine conditions will be developed and tested with assistance from the NZPA in conjunction with Sanford Ltd – The second largest producer of farmed salmon in New Zealand.

Industry Partner: Sanford Ltd

Title: Design and development of functional materials from Hemp Hurd for diverse applications

Summary: The global hemp industry is projected to grow from US$5 billion in 2019 to US$65 billion by 2030, driven by hemp’s fast growth, low input needs, and exceptional carbon absorption—up to 22 tonnes CO₂ per hectare annually. Hemp hurd, a by-product making up 70–80% of the stalk, is often discarded despite its high cellulose, lignin, and silica content and unique porous structure. These properties make it ideal for producing activated carbon for use in composites, batteries, and environmental remediation. Unlocking commercial applications for hurd can reduce waste and support sustainable industry growth in New Zealand and beyond. The overarching aim is to provide the industry with guidance to help identify and evaluate potential commercial options for functional materials derived from hemp-hurd which would otherwise be disposed of in landfill.

Industry Partners:New Zealand Natural Fibres

Title: New biocomposites for large format additive manufacturing

Summary: The NZPA grant supported the development and testing of a formulation for large-format additive manufacturing incorporating local fibres, biopolymers, and inorganic fillers. The material demonstrated a well-balanced combination of mechanical performance, processability, and printability. It was successfully trialled at a commercial filament production facility, with printed objects exhibiting appealing aesthetics and strong potential for decorative and furniture applications.

Industry Partners:One Earth Technologies Limited

Title:Assessment of Mudstone Dust as a Supplementary Cementitious Material and Fine Aggregate in Concrete

Summary: This study explores the potential of New Zealand mudstone (papa rock) to reduce Portland cement clinker and natural sand consumption in 3D-printed concrete. Mudstone will be processed and tested as both a supplementary cementitious material and fine aggregate. Pretreatment methods such as heating and grinding will be investigated to enhance its reactivity. Material characterisation will be conducted to assess its suitability for sustainable concrete applications.

Industry Partners:Omya New Zealand

Title:Development of sustainable solutions to enhance the durability and long-term performance of hempcrete buildings

Summary:This project aims to evaluate the performance of nano-scale, amorphous Colloidal Silica (CS) derived from geothermal silica from a startup company, Geo40, at different stages in curing hempcrete. The study will focus on testing the long-term effects in improving hempcrete’s strength and water resistance over various intervals. The goal is to validate reliability, particularly in terms of its mechanical durability and hydrophobic properties, positioning hempcrete with CS as a commercially viable solution for eco-friendly construction practices.

Industry Partners: Geobind (Rockstead Construction), Kohu Hemp Tiny House Construction and Geo40

Title:Transforming waste wood materials to tailored carbon materials for electrochemical energy storage

Summary: We have successfully developed an in-situ doping process to convert New Zealand forestry slash into heteroatom-doped carbon materials for energy storage applications. The resulting doped carbon electrodes exhibited very interesting electrochemical performance, demonstrating their strong potential for use in advanced supercapacitors and battery systems. We have presented the findings were shared with CarbonScape in Blenheim, fostering collaboration between industry and academia. The research results were also presented at several high-profile conferences, including Residues2Revenues 2024 with a focus on biomass utilisation, ICOSSE ’25, and the New Zealand Energy Conference. This work advances the development of sustainable materials for next-generation energy storage while promoting circular economy practices within the forestry sector.

Industry Partners: CarbonScape

Title:Tiki Aahua

Summary:Research project looking at digitally embedding narratives into multi material 3D Printed tiki for manufacture of unique personalized artefacts

Industry Partners: Tihei Ltd, Rangi Kipa