Species Aotearoa is seeking to boost taxonomy and biosystematics in Aotearoa – New Zealand to address the urgent need for fundamental information about our biota.
Discovering
A significant proportion of species remain to be discovered in Aotearoa. Each year researchers publish species that are new to science, and many are found nowhere else in the world.
Naming
Scientific names are the index to biological information – they provide the means to communicate, share and discover information about the species around us. Having the correct names for our biota is therefore critical, and each year researchers clarify and publish these names according to strict international codes.
Curating
Biosystematics is the original "big data" science – collecting, curating and integrating a wide range of objects and associated data. These specimens and data are derived a range of taxonomic, biosystematic and other biological research, and also from the wider biosecurity, biodiversity and local communities.
Managing
New Zealand has a rich collection of natural history specimens held by different organisations around the country. Each of these organisations holds and manages these collections for the benefit of all New Zealanders.
Our purpose
Species Aotearoa provides an interface between the taxonomy and systematics community and key end-users – nationally and globally.
We coordinate and develop the responses for Aotearoa to the goals outlined in Royal Society Te Apārangi’s report National Taxonomic Collections in New Zealand (2015) and Decadal Plan (2018).
We work with the sector and stakeholders to show the importance of taxonomy and biosystematics and its relevance to science, society, government and industry.
News
The elegant leek orchid – a new species for Aotearoa
February 2025
A new species of orchid, the elegant leek orchid, has recently been described and named by botanists from Te Papa and Ōtari Native Botanic Garden. The elegant leek orchid is found from the central North Island south to the Auckland Islands but is very uncommon and classified as threatened.
Bug of the Year 2025 winner announced
February 2025
The velvet worm Peripatoides novaezealandiae is the winner of the 2025 Bug of the Year competion.
NZ science sector reforms
January 2025
Changes to New Zealand’s science system were announced on 23 January 2025.
Māori perspectives on synthetic biology for environmental protection
August 2024
Te Tira Whakamātaki was included in this project to engage with Māori across Aotearoa on their perspectives of synthetic biology, termed genetic technologies, for environmental protection. TTW’s aim was to examine the cultural, social, and emotional factors that made Māori participants either comfortable or uncomfortable with the use of genetic technology. Our goal is to use this information to spread awareness amongst Māori communities of potential biosecurity tools; inform them of the factors driving attitudes to gene tech; and be a reliable source of information for decision makers to consider when approaching Māori communities with genetic technology proposals.
The pāua that clings to the sea: a new species of abalone found only in waters off a remote New Zealand island chain
September 2024
The discovery of the Manawatāwhi pāua, unique to the Three Kings Islands, highlights the need to build taxonomic expertise to speed up work to describe thousands of as-yet-unnamed species.
Feature
Ocean Census – Bounty Trough voyage
The Ocean Census – Bounty Trough research cruise was a 21-day expedition and workshop exploring one of the most remote parts of the deep ocean. Led by Ocean Census, The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, a team of scientists spent 21 days investigating the unexplored Bounty Trough ocean system off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island. You can read more about the voyage on the NIWA wesbite here.
The need for a sound understanding of biodiversity has never been greater. At the heart of this is taxonomic and systematic knowledge.
The rapidly accelerating human impacts on the planet, and the rates of extinction in New Zealand and the high proportion of species that have been evaluated as threatened or data deficient are extremely alarming. Many species are becoming extinct before they have been documented, and every extinction is a loss for society, the environment, and our future.
Our work
Species Aotearoa has been actively contributing to key strategy documents such as Biosecurity 2025, State of Biodiversity, MBIE view of collections, and the Discovering Biodiversity.
Our work programme addresses key issues with working groups that focus on defined topics. The working groups will be participants from the wider sector and community from beyond the steering group.
Featured
Our community
How do you get involved?
Subscribe to keep up to date
Join a working group – working groups will be announced on this web site as they are formed. Details to follow.
Send issues and ideas to the Steering Group
Become a member of the Steering Group when positions are vacated