Equine Trust
Increasing the productivity of the equine industry requires the application of scientific education and research to improve traditional practises. To achieve significant change in traditional industries, investment in education must go hand-in-hand with investment in research.
To this end, government created the Partnerships for Excellence (PfX) to establish enduring research-based partnerships between the tertiary sector and industry, in this case between Massey University and the equine industry. Because the equine sector has demonstrated a long-term commitment to research-led learning, the PfX allows Massey University to acquire matching Crown funding from the Tertiary Education Commission for investment in learning and research of benefit to the private sector.
The Equine Trust has been formed to invest, manage and protect the Crown funds in perpetuity.
The specific goals of the Equine Partnership for Excellence are as follows:
- More persons with in-depth, sound, theoretical and practical knowledge of equine science, technology and business will enter the New Zealand equine industries with the vision and competence to manage and grow leading equine enterprises
- Performance, soundness and reputation of New Zealand horses will continue to improve and New Zealand’s equine biosecurity, health and welfare will remain the envy of the world
- Enhanced standards of veterinary care through better education of undergraduate veterinarians and improved continuing professional development
- More masters and PhD students will contribute to advancement of equine and veterinary science and science capability in New Zealand
- Enhanced regional development and healthier rural communities
- New Zealand’s equine industry will show productivity gains through growth in the breeding industry, a sales premium from the high quality of the young horses sold internationally, and the export of nutraceuticals, animal remedies, biotechnology and bioinformatics to the international equine market
The outcomes of the Partnership will be achieved through private sector, Government and University support of the equine teaching and research programmes of Massey University and, when appropriate, collaborative projects between Massey University and AgResearch, three overseas universities, a Northern Equine Learning and Research Alliance (NELRA), a Southern Learning and Research Alliance (SELRA), a Global Equine Research Alliance (GERA). A number of the research projects administered at Massey University have been done in collaboration with equine veterinarians in New Zealand. Communication and collaboration with the New Zealand Equine Research Foundation (NZERF) is also planned.
