A scientific breakthrough for flea and tick treatment
Agritech firm Bontia Bio has patented world-first technology which could bring a massive shakeup to the billion-dollar global animal treatment market. The technology allows naturally forming anti-parasitic compounds, used to create flea and tick treatments, to be synthetically replicated, meaning they can be produced in commercially viable quantities. Veterinarians and pet owners are increasingly noticing problems with existing flea and tick treatments, including emerging drug resistance, adverse side effects and negative environmental impacts. But treatments created via these compounds - which form on fungi - have so far shown no signs of toxicity and can be reproduced sustainably. The scientific breakthrough for the New Zealand company has been years in the making. Two of the company's directors are Matthew Nicholson and Emily Parker.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
5 hours ago
- Techday NZ
AI to create new roles as Nimbl predicts job growth not loss
New analysis from Nimbl Consulting has suggested that artificial intelligence (AI) is set to reshape the jobs landscape, but predicts that the new era will see job growth rather than redundancy. According to Nimbl Director Wyn Ackroyd, the advent of AI and its integration into core business activities will create opportunities for emerging roles and personalised products on a scale not previously possible. Jobs 'not fewer, but different' In a recent thought piece titled "Customer Service at the Speed of AI", Ackroyd highlights a future where AI enables businesses to deliver highly personalised, real-time services, shifting the emphasis from job losses to new types of employment. "We're not heading toward a future with fewer jobs. We're heading toward a future with different jobs, roles that don't exist yet, but will be essential to delivering the next generation of customer experiences," Ackroyd said. The report draws on industry examples such as the insurance and banking sectors. "Imagine a customer requests a complex mortgage involving KiwiSaver contributions, parental equity, and other non-traditional inputs. In the AI-powered future, financial institutions will be able to instantly generate a bespoke product, tailored to that individual's needs, in real time. Not just for them, but for others with similar profiles, before they even ask," Ackroyd said. This approach signals what Nimbl terms "Service at the Speed of AI", in which unique customer products could be created every hour, each tailored to specific individuals or niche groups. Ackroyd emphasises that rather than eliminating jobs, this will create a vacuum that will be filled by new services and corresponding employment opportunities. Emergence of new roles The analysis suggests that AI-native businesses will increasingly operate with remarkable speed, creating thousands of personalised products as AI tools become more sophisticated. Ackroyd foresees the emergence of new roles such as AI Interaction Designers, Personalisation Strategists, and Synthetic Data Curators. These positions, presently rare or non-existent, are expected to become vital as organisations seek to leverage data for tailored customer solutions. To realise these opportunities, Nimbl encourages investment in data quality, workforce retraining, and strategic redesign. Ackroyd notes that companies must now rethink their approach to workforce planning, prioritising skills that complement AI, like creativity and empathy. Strategic shift for businesses Businesses are also cautioned against viewing AI solely as a means to cut costs. Ackroyd advises that the greater potential lies in deploying AI as a tool to expand capacity and improve customer experience. "The real question isn't how many jobs AI will replace. It's how we'll use the capacity it creates to serve customers in ways we've never been able to before," Ackroyd said. "With some Nimbl footwork," Ackroyd concludes. "the future is full of opportunity." New Zealand-based consultancy, Nimbl, is helping organisations navigate change through a combination of agility, strategic insight, and purpose-driven transformation. Specialising in areas such as AI integration and customer experience design, the business transformation firm supports clients in adapting to an increasingly dynamic and competitive landscape.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Do I have to pay for my partner's care?
Photo: RNZ Send your questions to If one person in a de facto relationship needs permanent medical care, does the Government require the other partner to pay for the care once the unwell patient's funds run out? The basic answer to your question is that when your partner is being assessed for their ability to pay for their care, your income and assets will usually be taken into account. If you're referring to medical care in a rest home setting, your assets and personal income affect whether your partner will qualify for a residential care subsidy. "People who need residential care are required to pay for it themselves, if they can afford to do so. If they cannot afford it, they may be eligible for a residential care subsidy, which Health New Zealand pays directly to the care provider," said Ministry of Social Development group general manager for client service delivery Graham Allpress. "MSD's role is to check whether people qualify for this subsidy by performing a 'financial means assessment'. "To get the subsidy, a person's income and assets must be under a certain amount. If they are in a relationship, the combined income and assets of both parties must be under a certain amount." People can qualify for the subsidy if they are 50 to 64, single and without dependent children, or over 65 and meet the income and means test. That means, even if your partner's funds have run out, your assets could still be taken into account. If only one partner needs care, the couple combined need to have assets of no more than $155,873 not including the family home and car, or $284,636 if you do want the home and car in the assessment. If it's other types of care that you're thinking of, it could be a good idea to contact Health NZ for a needs assessment. There are options such as the supported living payment but eligibility for this is assessed on a household income basis, too. I'm currently a NZ tax resident living in NZ, but previously lived in Australia (over a decade ago) and purchased shares on the ASX that I continue to own and receive dividends for (which I declare as part of my income). If I sold these shares now, worth about $150,000, what taxes would they be subject to? Specifically, would I have to pay a capital gains tax on the increased share value (as I would if I were an Australian tax resident). This is probably a question for an accountant with expertise in Australian tax. Based on information available online, it seems that you potentially should have paid tax on the shares in Australia when you stopped being an Australian resident. Assuming that didn't happen, the Australian Tax Office is likely to be expecting capital gains tax to be paid on them when they are sold. You aren't likely to have any New Zealand tax obligations. Tax experts tell me that the authorities have access to a lot of data these days so it's possible that the Australian Tax Office will find out about any share sale and might get in touch with you. I am 78 years of age and still work part time and also still contribute to my KiwiSaver. Am I eligible for the government contribution? Sorry, no. While the government said it was going to start making contributions to 16 and 17-year-olds' accounts, it hasn't budged on the upper limit of 65. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
The hunt for ever decreasing numbers of moths and butterflies
The monarch is not endemic to New Zealand but it is a native because it flew or blew here in the 1830s. Photo: Alex Harmer On a mid-summer day in the snow tussock grasslands of the rugged Lammermoor Range in Otago more than 40 years ago, butterfly scientist Brian Patrick made the most memorable discovery of his career. Six new species of native moths. Despite more than 5000 butterfly hunting expeditions the entomologist immediately recalls that day as the most special. "Twenty third of February, 1983," he says. "My brother-in-law worked for the Ministry of Works hydrology department and he saw the wonderful snowbanks and wonderful herb fields and snow tussock grasslands of the Lammermoor Range, inland from Dunedin." The four-wheel drive up there was a revelation. Butterfly scientist Brian Patrick holding a monarch butterfly he found. Photo: Alex Harmer "They were just flying around in the daytime," says Patrick, who has written a book with his son Hamish called Butterflies of the South Pacific . He's been back to the Lammermoor Range 30 times since. "There are lepidoptera that are hatching for the first time in the season right through in late April early May. We have a lot of early winter emerging lepidoptera in New Zealand across many different families of moths and butterflies." In contrast to that plentiful February day, Patrick says 2025 has been a "poorer year than normal for all our moths and butterflies". "Whether it relates to temperature or environmental conditions or something else we don't know." He says it is not worrying. Yet. "Climate and all those things are dynamic. We need to see a pattern. One year doesn't tell the story necessarily." Jacqui Knight from Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand in her garden Photo: Sharon Brettkelly But Jacqui Knight of Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust is worried that there's not one butterfly in her suburban Auckland garden. That's partly because it is cold and wet but even in the trees in a nearby park, where monarch butterflies have overwintered in previous years, none can be found. She says there could be several factors behind the poor season, including exotic wasps and diseases. "With all the people that are working towards saving the monarch in New Zealand by using butterfly houses and caterpillar castles to raise them and release them it's just incredible that the numbers are not increasing," says Knight. The monarch is not endemic to New Zealand but it is a native because it flew or blew here in the 1830s, she says. It is global, unlike Aotearoa's endemic species. "Most of them, if they disappear, we will never get them back again. When a butterfly species in Britain is lost sometimes they've been able to go to other parts of Europe to find them. But New Zealand's lepidoptera species - that's butterflies and moths - 93 percent of them - only exist in New Zealand. Jacqui Knight from Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand uses a toothpick to place a small tracking sticker on a monarch butterfly Photo: Sharon Brettkelly "We lose them, they're gone forever." Knight says there is a lot to learn about lepidoptera but it is a battle to raise funds for further research and raise awareness about the need to protect them. "There's so many needs out there. That's the problem." Brian Patrick says there are many reasons we should care about our own butterflies and moths. "Aesthetically I'm in love with them. I just love their form, their antics. But they pollinate our flowers," he says. "So econologically they are really integral to our environment, let alone our crops, the food we eat and everything from our flowers and our gardens and our lawns. "But just the diversity of them is important enough. It lifts me and I'm sure it lifts lots of people to see the diversity of nature out there every day." Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
