Mike grew up in Ōtautahi and studied genetics at Lincoln University, followed by a PhD in virology in Australia. He then took his DNA skills and decided to apply them within the field of ancient and environmental DNA, where he then spent the next 20 years (at Universities in Oxford, Canada and Australia) extracting DNA from a wide variety of biological material – from fossils to sea water. Mike has published over 220 papers. In 2019, he left academia to take up the position of Chief Scientist at the EPA but in 2020 was seconded into Aotearoa’s COVID-19 response, where he wrote science advice and policy on the pandemic for the PMCSA, MoH and ESR. In November 2023, Mike was appointed as Chief Science Advisor at DOC. He lives in Wellington with his wife, two kids and golden retriever.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand License
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23 April 2024 The Future of NZ's Agricultural Workforce
Timings:
3:00pm: Guests arrive for afternoon tea and networking
3:15pm: Presentation from Chief Science Advisor detailing megatrends addressed by the research strategy
4:15pm: Speaking finishes, networking continues
4:30pm: Event finishes
Our Speakers
Dr Richard Lynch
Ministry for Primary Industries
A key focus of his work is to oversee both the data analysis and policy advice so that New Zealand’s food and fibre sector has the workforce it needs now, and in the future, for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This has included establishing a food and fibre workforce website and developing future forecasts of workforce needs for the food and fibre sector. The team also provides a wide range of advice on issues which affect our workforce including workforce issues such as advice on vocational education and immigration settings.
Richard grew up on a dairy farm in the Manawatu and has a PhD in Agriculture Economics.