The partnership was confirmed in London on Tuesday evening (today NZT) with the signing of an agreement at an event hosted by Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, to celebrate connections between the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Innovate UK and AgriZeroNZ will work together as investor partners, combining grant funding, investment and expertise to stimulate research and development into reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

Wayne McNee, AgriZeroNZ Chief Executive, said the partnership is expected to unlock new investment opportunities to support its ambition to ensure all farmers in Aotearoa New Zealand have equitable access to affordable, effective solutions to reduce biogenic methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

“The UK is highly regarded as a thriving hub for innovation and we’re excited to tap into this network of high potential businesses across the agritech system with Innovate UK.”

The partnership complements AgriZeroNZ’s diverse investment portfolio which includes UK start up Agroceutical Products, a previous Innovate UK funding recipient. AgriZeroNZ is setting up a new entity with the company in New Zealand and investing up to £2m to investigate how its daffodil extracts could be used as a methane inhibitor to reduce agricultural emissions.