New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays® 2018

Mystery Creek, Hamilton, Wednesday 13 June - Saturday 16 June

Farming has come a long way since the New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays® began 50 years ago, and the agri-sector continues to evolve.

The theme this year was the ‘future of farming’. That future will involve embracing developments in technology, on farm and right through the supply chain. It will include moving towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions.

AI involves machines that can perform tasks that are characteristic of human intelligence, such as recognising objects and sounds, understanding language and problem-solving.

At the University of Waikato, our researchers are finding ways to use machine learning to increase agri efficiency and to protect New Zealand’s borders from pests and disease. They are collaborating with industry to find practical solutions to today’s problems.They’re also investigating ethics around the use of new and emerging technologies, and what it means for our farmers and the industry.


Featured Research 2018





Latest news

Fieldays underway for 50th time

Fieldays began today and the University of Waikato is well represented at the annual agri-event. Our stand in the main pavilion is interactive, inviting visitors to include themselves in time-of-flight photography, compete against a computer to differentiate species of flora and fauna, and answer a survey about the importance of technology on farm


Improving health of new-born calves

Gemma is part-way through her doctoral study and says the Fieldays scholarship, founded to assist University of Waikato students to do research with a specific focus on the agricultural sector, is a great honour to receive and will be a great boost to her studies.


A question of ethics down on the farm

Dr Nick Munn is a philosopher who studies the ethics of new technology, and the challenges technology generates for our existing ethical systems. He’ll be on our stand at this year’s National Agricultural Fieldays.


What on Earth is that?

Researchers from the Universities of Waikato and Canterbury and from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research are working together on a project that involves ‘big data’, training computers to recognise species of plants, insects and fungi.


Sophisticated cameras for the farm

Electronic Engineer Dr Lee Streeter is working to improve and measure time-of-flight photography and his work will be on show at the University of Waikato stand at this year’s National Agricultural Fieldays.


Fieldays gallery 2018

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