Media release – 12 July 2005 For Immediate Release
New Standalone Business Springs From Crown Research Institute
The Rotorua-based CRI now known as Scion Group announces the formation of Plant Protection Chemistry NZ Ltd (PPC NZ) as
an independent research and development company.
PPC NZ has been functioning for many years as a science group within the CRI, specialising in the formulation and
application of agrichemicals.
The establishment of PPC NZ as a standalone business comes as the result of a management buy-out initiated by the three
senior staff within the business: Jerzy Zabkiewicz, Robyn Gaskin and Alison Forster.
Scion Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tom Richardson, says that the evolution of PPC NZ as a standalone company
demonstrates how a Crown Research Institute can give rise to successful commercial businesses.
“While plant protection chemistry research started from a traditional base of research within the forestry sector, this
group has successfully applied their pesticide formulation knowledge to benefit a range of other sectors,” he explains.
The formation of PPC NZ Ltd as an independent entity came as a result of an approach from the experienced, long-serving
scientists and technical staff to manage their own research and development company.
A notable success for the PPC NZ team in the past was the development of a novel organosilicone additive that can reduce
the amount of herbicide needed to treat an area, and which also degrades very rapidly in the environment.
This product was commercialised as “Pulse” by Monsanto in 1985, and New Zealand became a world leader in the use and
application of this technology.
The product’s success, initiated in New Zealand, saw the creation of a global organosilicone market from nil to
multi-million dollars globally, over several agriculture sectors.
Tailored chemical technologies of this kind have led to the development by PPC NZ of designer additives called
adjuvants, which are now used in a wide range of horticultural and agricultural crops.
“Due to the vision and commitment of core staff, PPC NZ are now recognised as world-leaders in agrichemical
application, formulation and efficacy, and it is appropriate for them to forge ahead as a standalone business,” Dr
Richardson says.
As PPC NZ continues to work with commercial clients in developing new chemical technologies, the business will continue
to occupy the same premises on the Scion Group’s Te Papa Tipu site in Rotorua, employing the same personnel and
providing mutual access to key scientific equipment.
“The Scion Group Board and Management fully endorse the management buy-out as a mutually desired and positive process,
and wish the PPC NZ team every success,” Dr Richardson says.
ENDS
ABOUT SCION GROUP
Scion Group is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute with a vision of developing sustainable biomaterials. Formerly
known as Forest Research, Scion Group is focused on applying a deep knowledge of plantation forestry, wood and fibre to
the development of new biomaterials from renewable plant resources.
In 2003, the organisation launched a "Biomaterial Futures" strategy in response to a growing global demand for materials
that can be used as an alternative to synthetic products. Scion is now focused on creating plant-based biomaterials and
new manufacturing processes as a basis for sustainable consumer markets of the future. www.scionresearch.com
ABOUT PPCNZ
The group started in 1975 as part of a search for better gorse herbicides for use in forestry. By 1980 they had
developed a new, novel organosilicone additive that made the herbicide "Roundup" very effective against gorse and
bracken, broom. The additive was commercialised in 1985 by Monsanto and sold under the brand "Pulse".
This additive made it possible to use Roundup, which is considered as a safe chemical, in the forestry sector. The
addition of Pulse also made it possible to use Escort, which has since become a major forestry herbicide. These
successes have seen organosilicone adopted globally as a way of reducing the amount of herbicide used in the
environment.
In 1998, the group shifted their research focus from forest herbicides to horticulture. They have since developed
specialised formulations of insecticides and fungicides for use with apples, kiwifruit, persimmon, summer fruit, citrus
and cherries. This work led to the development of designer additives called adjuvants, and in the last 5 years PPCNZ has
been applying "tailored technology" to other crops such as potatoes and onions. The New Zealand company who funded these
developments with support from Tech NZ is now selling the new product "DuWett" all around the world.