Advancing Seaweed Cultivation in New Zealand: Greenwave Aotearoa's Journey and Vision for the Future

About the speaker: 

Ryan is an environmentally conscious professional with a strong commitment to sustainability, currently serving as the Aquaculture Science and Operations Lead, where he supports projects like Greenwave Aotearoa and oversees hatchery development and farming operations. Previously, he was the Seaweed Nursery Technical Lead at SAMS Enterprise Seaweed Nursery in the UK, managing gametophyte culturing and production, and gaining extensive experience in seaweed cultivation and farm management.

Organisation:

Our vision encompasses a holistic approach to developing the seaweed industry. We aim to expand our cultivation network, support multiple farmers by supplying high-quality seed, farmer training modules from site selection to navigating consents and permits, and providing a bespoke subsidy for ecosystem services of regenerative ocean farming. We are committed to nurturing new generations of talent through scholarships, mentorships and traineeships. While our cultivation capabilities are still developing, we are dedicated to bringing new farmers on a journey of technical development to build a sustainable and innovative seaweed farming industry.

Presentation:

GWA's seaweed farming journey began with a commitment to research and development. Over the past year, significant milestones in hatchery efficiency have been achieved, optimising cultivation techniques and navigating regulatory barriers to commercialisation. This presentation will provide an in-depth look at our technical progress, highlighting key learnings and the current state of our operations.