R&D labs in New Zealand
The 311 Institute tracks 34 R&D labs in New Zealand: 17 research institutes, 10 government, 4 university, 2 corporate and 1 military. Most are in Auckland, Wellington and Palmerston North, and the leading organisations include Bioeconomy Science Institute, New Zealand government and AgResearch. Their main focus areas are molecular biology, nature and landscape conservation, astronomy and astrophysics and instrumentation.
Part of the 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory. Compiled by Matthew Griffin. Last updated .
34labs
28organisations
9cities
34verified
All 34 labs
| Lab and organisation | Location | Type and sector | Focus | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare R&DFisher & Paykel Healthcare | Auckland, New Zealand | Corporate Healthcare and life sciences | Medical devices | |
| Whakauae Research (New Zealand)Whakauae Research (New Zealand) | Whanganui, New Zealand | Corporate Social sciences and humanities | Health, Physiology, Anthropology | 2005 |
| Bioeconomy Science InstituteBioeconomy Science Institute | Lincoln, New Zealand | Government Agriculture and food | Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Soil Science | 2025 |
| Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchBioeconomy Science Institute | Lincoln, New Zealand | Government Environment and climate | Nature and Landscape Conservation, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Ecology | 1992 |
| Research and Education Advanced Network New ZealandGovernment of New Zealand | Wellington, New Zealand | Government Technology | Computer Networks and Communications, Information Systems and Management, Information Systems | 2005 |
| Health Research Council of New ZealandHealth Research Council of New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand | Government Healthcare and life sciences | Periodontics, Water Science and Technology, Epidemiology | 1990 |
| Measurement Standards Laboratory of New ZealandMeasurement Standards Laboratory of New Zealand | Lower Hutt, New Zealand | Government Industrials and manufacturing | Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering | 1992 |
| Ministry of Business, Innovation and EmploymentMinistry of Business, Innovation and Employment | Wellington, New Zealand | Government Public policy and analysis | Economics and Econometrics, Civil and Structural Engineering, Information Systems | 2012 |
| AgResearchNew Zealand government | Lincoln, New Zealand | Government Agriculture and food | Agriculture | 1992 |
| Earth Sciences New ZealandNew Zealand government | Lower Hutt, New Zealand | Government Environment and climate | Geoscience, Climate, Hazards | 2025 |
| GNS ScienceNew Zealand government | Lower Hutt, New Zealand | Government Environment and climate | Geoscience | 1992 |
| NIWANew Zealand government | Auckland, New Zealand | Government Environment and climate | Climate, Oceans | 1992 |
| Defence Science and TechnologyNew Zealand Defence Force | Auckland, New Zealand | Military Healthcare and life sciences | Occupational Therapy, Sociology and Political Science, Pharmacology | 1957 |
| Allan Wilson CentreMassey University | Palmerston North, New Zealand | University Healthcare and life sciences | Genetics, Molecular Biology, Paleontology | 2002 |
| University of AucklandUniversities in New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand | University Multidisciplinary research | Engineering, Medicine | 1883 |
| Maurice Wilkins CentreUniversity of Auckland | Auckland, New Zealand | University Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Materials Chemistry, Infectious Diseases | 2002 |
| MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and NanotechnologyVictoria University of Wellington | Wellington, New Zealand | University Chemicals and materials | Polymers and Plastics, Inorganic Chemistry, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials | 2002 |
| Riddet InstituteAgResearch | Palmerston North, New Zealand | Research institute Agriculture and food | Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, Molecular Biology | 2003 |
| Plant & Food ResearchBioeconomy Science Institute | Auckland, New Zealand | Research institute Agriculture and food | Plant Science, Insect Science, Molecular Biology | 2008 |
| ScionBioeconomy Science Institute | Rotorua, New Zealand | Research institute Environment and climate | Nature and Landscape Conservation, Building and Construction, Ecology | 1947 |
| Brain Research New ZealandBrain Research New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Mental health, Cognitive Neuroscience | 2014 |
| Canterbury Health LaboratoriesCanterbury Health Laboratories | Christchurch, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Physiology, Epidemiology, Clinical Biochemistry | 1912 |
| Carter ObservatoryCarter Observatory | Wellington, New Zealand | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation | 1937 |
| Farm Cove ObservatoryFarm Cove Observatory | Auckland, New Zealand | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Aerospace Engineering | 1999 |
| Ferrier Research InstituteFerrier Research Institute | Wellington, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Organic Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Immunology | 2014 |
| Gillies McIndoe Research InstituteGillies McIndoe Research Institute | Wellington, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Molecular Biology, Surgery, Oncology | 2009 |
| Kumeu ObservatoryKumeu Observatory | Auckland, New Zealand | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation | |
| Medical Research Institute of New ZealandMedical Research Institute of New Zealand | Wellington, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Physiology, Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health | 2001 |
| New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research CentreNew Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre | Palmerston North, New Zealand | Research institute Environment and climate | Ecology, Agronomy and Crop Science, Economics and Econometrics | 1992 |
| New Zealand Brain Research InstituteNew Zealand Brain Research Institute | Christchurch, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Neurology, Psychiatry and Mental health, Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging | |
| New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research CentreNew Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre | Palmerston North, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Food Science, Biotechnology, Endocrinology | 2016 |
| New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic ScienceNew Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science | Porirua, New Zealand | Research institute Healthcare and life sciences | Genetics, Food Science, Water Science and Technology | 1992 |
| Stardome ObservatoryStardome Observatory | Auckland, New Zealand | Research institute Space | Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Nuclear and High Energy Physics | 1967 |
| Te Pūnaha MatatiniTe Pūnaha Matatini | Auckland, New Zealand | Research institute Environment and climate | Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Modeling and Simulation |
R&D ecosystems in New Zealand
Other countries in Oceania
Questions and answers
How many R&D labs are there in New Zealand?
The 311 Institute Global R&D Labs Directory lists 34 active R&D labs in New Zealand as of October 2026: 17 research institutes, 10 government, 4 university, 2 corporate and 1 military.
Which organisations run the most R&D labs in New Zealand?
In this directory the organisations with the most labs in New Zealand are Bioeconomy Science Institute, New Zealand government and AgResearch.
Where are R&D labs concentrated in New Zealand?
They cluster around Auckland, Wellington and Palmerston North. The largest R&D ecosystem is Auckland.
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