Members of the BPA’s Board and Science Leadership Group (SLG) toured AgriSea’s manufacturing site just outside Paeroa last week – a fitting way to round out an inspirational and action-packed few days.
Clare Bradley, CEO of AgriSea – Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading producer of sustainable seaweed-based solutions for agriculture, horticulture and personal care – was one of the presenters at our second annual Sustainable Solutions Symposium held in Rotorua last Thursday. In her address, Clare outlined AgriSea’s 30-year journey, including a long-term partnership with the Bioeconomy Science Institute to extract value from its seaweed resources for future-focused biotechnology.
Last year, AgriSea opened the world’s first dedicated hydrogel facility at its Paeroa headquarters to produce both bleached and unbleached cellulose microsheets (CMS) from its seaweed waste streams – an area of R&D that has enormous potential in the medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.
The BPA has played a key role in supporting AgriSea on its journey, assisting the Māori-owned, inter-generational family business with funding and expertise to help achieve scalability and commercialisation with the production of its unique zero-waste nanocellulose hydrogel.
Clare is currently on a seven-week Nuffield Scholarship, touring a range of agricultural production sites, on-farm experiences and key policy centres in Australia, Asia, the US, South America, Europe and the UK. We wish her all the best!
You can follow her Nuffield tour on Instagram @curious_clare
AgriSea has recently been announced as a finalist in the Success in Innovation/Commercialisation category of the Science New Zealand Awards 2026 – an example of science driving innovation and success in the commercial world, with tangible benefits for New Zealanders.
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