Ruakura
Encyclopedia
Ruakura is a semi-rural suburb of Hamilton City
, in the Waikato
region of New Zealand
. The University of Waikato
is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of State Highway
1B (a variant of State Highway 1 which avoids the urban area).
The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural
-based economy, and Ruakura has an important role in that industry. Much of the land in the area has recently reverted to Tainui
control through the Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements
process.
Ruakura is synonymous with the Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre, the location of institutes such as AgResearch and Plant & Food Research. For over half a century, world-leading research has been conducted at Ruakura, and it is the leading agriculture and life sciences
research centre in New Zealand. Areas of AgResearch's research at Ruakura include animal molecular biology
(genomics
and cloning
), reproductive technologies, agricultural systems modelling, land management, dairy science, meat science, food processing technology and safety, and animal behaviour and welfare. Ruakura is also the site of AgResearch's head office. Plant & Food Research's site in Hamilton is home to its blueberry
nursery, its Bioengineering Group and its Food and Biological Chemistry laboratory. Work is also carried out on biological control agents
.
The Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre is on land owned by the Waikato
tribe, to which was returned by the Crown as part of their 1995 Waikato Raupatu Land Settlement.
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, in the Waikato
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The University of Waikato
University of Waikato
The University of Waikato is located in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand, and was established in 1964. It has strengths across a broad range of subject areas, particularly its degrees in Computer Science and in Management...
is nearby. The area lies to the east of urban Hamilton and to the west of State Highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
1B (a variant of State Highway 1 which avoids the urban area).
The Waikato region is a major contributor to New Zealand's agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
-based economy, and Ruakura has an important role in that industry. Much of the land in the area has recently reverted to Tainui
Tainui
Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato...
control through the Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements
Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements
Treaty of Waitangi claims and settlements have been a significant feature of New Zealand race relations and politics since 1975. Over the last 30 years, New Zealand governments have increasingly provided formal legal and political opportunity for Māori to seek redress for breaches by the Crown of...
process.
Ruakura is synonymous with the Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre, the location of institutes such as AgResearch and Plant & Food Research. For over half a century, world-leading research has been conducted at Ruakura, and it is the leading agriculture and life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
research centre in New Zealand. Areas of AgResearch's research at Ruakura include animal molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
(genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
and cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
), reproductive technologies, agricultural systems modelling, land management, dairy science, meat science, food processing technology and safety, and animal behaviour and welfare. Ruakura is also the site of AgResearch's head office. Plant & Food Research's site in Hamilton is home to its blueberry
Blueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
nursery, its Bioengineering Group and its Food and Biological Chemistry laboratory. Work is also carried out on biological control agents
Biological pest control
Biological control of pests in agriculture is a method of controlling pests that relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms...
.
The Ruakura Agriculture Research Centre is on land owned by the Waikato
Waikato (iwi)
Waikato is a Māori iwi from the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. Actually a confederation of smaller tribes, it is also part of the larger confederation of Tainui, consisting of tribes descended from Polynesian migrants who arrived in New Zealand on the Tainui canoe...
tribe, to which was returned by the Crown as part of their 1995 Waikato Raupatu Land Settlement.
External links
- AgResearch website
- Information on AgResearch's campuses - AgResearch is a Crown Research Institute owned by the New Zealand Government.
- Street map of Ruakura from the Hamilton City Council site