The objective of this research is to undertake an ex ante economic analysis of basic scientific research that aims to identify the gene(s) that control apomictic reproduction, with the ultimate aim of transferring the characteristic into commercially important crops. This paper reports very...

MoRST is evaluating the Environmental Research output class of the Public Good Science Fund to identify inter alia the impacts of Environmental RS&T spending. Three specific questions are: How effective has the funding on Environmental RS&T been? Is Environmental RS&T having a positive effect by...

Animal welfare considerations are becoming increasingly important for producers of animal-derived agricultural products. Recent media attention on issues of housing conditions for intensively reared livestock and induced calving in dairy production make it clear that some members of the public...

Policy decisions aimed at improving farm animal welfare involve balancing several competing objectives. Not only do such decisions involve tradeoffs between social, ethical, economic and welfare considerations, animal welfare itself is a multi-dimensional concept and some husbandry practices may...

MoRST is performing an evaluation of the funds invested in environmental research. The two case studies discussed in this paper contribute to the ongoing decision-making about this investment. Substantial funds have been invested in both research programmes identified. Because the main benefits...

Over the past few decades the relative price of eggs has fallen dramatically in New Zealand. This has been made possible, at least in part, by the application of increasingly intensive agricultural practices. However, there is also growing pressure from consumers and animal rights groups around...

The wine industry in New Zealand has been maturing over the past few decades, with consumers becoming more sophisticated and wineries responding by increasing their production of premium varieties. In addition, there have been several legal changes and subsequent changes to the distribution and...

This paper presents preliminary results from a hedonic price analysis of premium wines in New Zealand over the vintages 1994 – 2003. Implicit prices are presented for a sensory quality rating, as well as wine variety and regional reputation. Results show that the price premium associated with...