<p>A new round of research funding and the appointment of a Special Representative are big steps forward for New Zealand&rsquo;s involvement in the Global Research Alliance, Ministers Paula Bennett and Nathan Guy say.</p>
<p>&ldquo;New Zealander Hayden Montgomery has been endorsed by GRA member countries as its first Special Representative. The appointment highlights the confidence other countries have in New Zealand and the value they place in the work we do managing the GRA Secretariat,&rdquo; Climate Change Issues Minister Paula Bennett says.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This appointment will allow the GRA to better work with international and regional organisations, NGOs and the agricultural sector globally to reduce agricultural greenhouse gases and to improve the productivity of farmers globally.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Since 1990, New Zealand farmers&rsquo; productivity gains have prevented agricultural emissions from rising an additional 40 per cent. The GRA is doing critical work sharing best practice abroad and working on the next big advances the world needs.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The fourth round of the Global Partnerships in Livestock Emissions Research (GPLER) has also now opened which is providing $9.2million in contestable research funding.</p>
<p>&ldquo;This funding comes from the $20 million contribution to the GRA announced by Prime Minister John Key at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in December last year. It will be available for four research challenges covering rumen function, nitrous oxide emissions, soil carbon change and improvement in emissions intensity at farm-level,&rdquo; Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The GPLER has been an important tool for identifying and funding cutting edge research focused on reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating global research efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;The international, collaborative nature of the fund has previously seen New Zealand scientists working with counterparts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway and USA.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Details on the fund and applications for the fourth round of funding can be found at <a href="https://www.mpi.govt.nz/funding-and-programmes/farming/global-partnerships-in-livestock-emissions-research/">https://www.mpi.govt.nz/funding-and-programmes/farming/global-partnerships-in-livestock-emissions-research/</a></p>