Reducing the impact of leptospirosis on Taranaki’s rural communities
Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory (mEpiLab) is leading a major initiative to better understand and combat leptospirosis in Taranaki’s farming communities.
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that can cause anything from mild flu-like symptoms to serious illness or even death. Since the 1970s, it has been considered an occupational disease in New Zealand, mainly affecting dairy farmers, pig farmers and abattoir workers.
A study completed earlier in 2025 by the research team, headed by Dr Jackie Benschop with colleagues Julie Collins-Emerson, Shahista Nisa, and Stuart Littlejohn, indicated leptospirosis is starting to behave more like it does in tropical regions, with rodents and the environment playing a bigger role in how it spreads.
The research team is now working to identify regional strains and assessing risks to improve health and safety outcomes.
With support from Pivot funding and local networks, the project will raise awareness to encourage better pest control, environmental management, vaccination, and wound care. Understanding local strains will also guide vaccine choices and enable development of regionally targeted solutions.
Green Loop project aims to turn food waste into living soil
A team of scientists from Sustainable Taranaki and Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University are investigating whether food waste can be turned into a safe and reliable compost suitable for agriculture and horticulture.
Currently most commercial and residential food waste in Taranaki is sent either 200 km to landfill, where it emits methane, or over 300 km to Hampton Downs to be made into biogas.
This shipping process is costly, carbon-intensive, and strips the region of valuable organic matter.
Dr Dragana Gagic, Professor Peter Lockhart and Patricia Mclenachan from the School of Agriculture and Environment are working with Sustainable Taranaki researchers, Mieke Verschoor and Dr Nadja Caroline Gottfert on the the project, Green Loop: Food Waste to Living Soil - Research-Validated Circular Systems for Taranaki.
Pivot Award fund investment will enable the project team to utilise Massey University microbiology expertise and local partners to validate and build confidence in the system and enable uptake from farmers and businesses.
They aim to experiment with variations of the methods to maximise the effectiveness of the compost and divert substantial waste volumes while supporting farm transition to regenerative practices.
The long-term aim of the Green Loop project is to provide a proven model for regional centres facing similar waste transport and soil health challenges, to improve and support New Zealand's circular economy transition.
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