European and New Zealand regions sign MoU on agriculture and innovation

The Ljubljana Urban Region in Slovenia and the regions of Taranaki and Manawatū in New Zealand have formed a partnership under the European Union’s programme on International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC).

The partnership is part of the IURC community of practice on agriculture and innovation led by Catalonia in Spain. This community is helping regions in Europe and in Asia-Australasia to create and share new knowledge on cutting-edge technologies and research in agriculture.

The Regional Development Agencies of Ljubljana, Taranaki and Manawatū have signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to collaboration under the IURC umbrella. This follows several months of online meetings to discuss common challenges in their regions.

Tina Pezdirc Nograšek is Head of International Relations and Strategic Partnerships at the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region. Tina says the regions have identified an opportunity to collaborate on how regions can help businesses develop successful value chains for innovative food and fibre products.

Matt Lamb, Strategy and Investment Lead at Venture Taranaki, agrees. Matt says it is increasingly important for regions to diversify their land-based activities, which means it will be very useful to produce a cutting-edge resource on how to initiate and sustain premium value chains.

Ashley O’Neil is responsible for the Manawatū Regional Food Strategy at the region’s Central Economic Development Agency. Ashley says Manawatū hosts several world-class research organisations whose strengths in land-based science will be a key contribution to the project.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 16 February. The project partners have created a clear pathway for their collaboration, including milestones confirmed for the remainder of 2026. Outputs from this work will be posted on the IURC website as they are finalised.