New Zealand botany at Landcare Research

[Murray Dawson]

Dear Taxacomers,

I have been asked to pass on the following message.  It concerns changes to the organisational structure of the plant biosystematics and herbarium (CHR) groups at Landcare Research, New Zealand:

Over the past few years both Landcare Research and the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (the latter being the major science funder) have reviewed the position and direction of the programme ?Nationally Significant Biological Collections? in relation to other science programmes in biosystematics.  Following these reviews, we have decided to break up the ?Collections? programme into component parts that better align to the users of the Collections.  Work that supported plant biosystematics is now associated with the programme ?Biosystematics of New Zealand Plants (from 1 July 1999).  This is aimed to ensure that the operations of the Herbarium and databases are driven by research needs.  By focussing more clearly on user needs we can establish priorities for curation and database management and better utilise the currently limited resources we have for general Herbarium management.

This process has required us to realign responsibilities and staffing in line with funding and research needs.  The following is an update on staff of the programme Biosystematics of New Zealand Plants.

Programme Leader: Dr Ilse Breitwieser

Research:
Dr Ilse Breitwieser (New Zealand Angiospermae, esp. Compositae)
Murray Dawson (cytotaxonomy)
Dr Allan Fife (Flora of New Zealand: Mosses)
Kerry Ford (research assistance; weed identification newsletter; Carex)
Dr David Galloway (Flora of New Zealand: Lichens)
Sue Gibb (research assistance: moss and grass Flora)
David Glenny (New Zealand Angiospermae, esp. Gentianaceae; Hepaticae)
Dr Peter Heenan (New Zealand Angiospermae, esp. Brassicaceae, Fabaceae)
Mary Korver (research assistance)
Vaughan Myers (research assistance: SEM and TEM, anatomy)
Debby Redmond (research assistance)
Andy Glazier (research assistance: molecular systematics)
Rebecca Wagstaff (botanical artist)
Dr Steve Wagstaff (molecular systematics)
Dr Colin Webb (Seed Atlas)
Dr Aaron Wilton (New Zealand Monocotoyledonae, esp. Luzula)

Herbarium and associated databases:
Herbarium Keeper: Dr Ilse Breitwieser
Herbarium Administrator: Dr Peter Heenan
Database Keeper: Dr Aaron Wilton
Database Administrator: Michelle Breach
Plant Identification Register: Murray Dawson
Curation: Murray Dawson, Kerry Ford, Sue Gibb
Curatorial assistance: Mary Korver, Debby Redmond
Scientific curation, enquiries and plant identifications: Dr Ilse Breitwieser, Dr Allan Fife, Dr David Galloway, David Glenny, Dr Peter Heenan, Dr Steve Wagstaff, Dr Aaron Wilton
Friends of the Herbarium: Daphne Banks, Ngarita Johnstone, Valerie Lovis, Jean McCallion,  Elisabeth Ross.
(Please send all herbarium enquiries to Peter Heenan, database enquiries to Aaron Wilton, and plant identification requests to Murray Dawson).

We expect these changes to lead towards plant biosystematics research that increases its responsiveness to user needs and maintains high quality research.  We will also aim to expand our services to Government agencies, involvement with Botanical Societies and provision of loans to overseas Herbaria.