Gracefield Background

A long history

The facilities and operations at the Gracefield site were originally the Physics and Engineering Laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and were developed during World War II. In the post-war boom, the site was re-configured to undertake scientific research that would benefit the primary and manufacturing sectors. Active partnering with targeted industries commenced.

In 1992 the DSIR was dissolved into 10 Crown Research agencies, of which Industrial Research Ltd (IRL) was one. IRL was headquartered at Gracefield, until it was itself dissolved in 2013 and its assets transferred to a new Crown entity, Callaghan Innovation.

Due to the breadth of activities that have taken place at Gracefield, a range of resource consents and usage rights are in place, covering discharges to air and water, amongst other things. The consents provide the ability for a wide range of small-scale materials processing and manufacturing activities to take place.

The facilities and activities onsite have evolved over the years, although the vast majority of the buildings and site layout would be familiar to inhabitants from its early days. Science facilities at the Gracefield site have played a significant role in the training and development of New Zealand’s current scientific and technical workforce through the provision of internships, postgraduate research, and other opportunities. Many of the scientists and engineers onsite are pre-eminent in their fields.

Redeveloping Gracefield

Callaghan Innovation

Callaghan Innovation’s mission is to activate innovation and accelerate commercialisation for a better New Zealand. As New Zealand’s Innovation Agency our primary objective is to support science and technology based innovation and its commercialisation by businesses.

Callaghan Innovation supports the government’s goal for R&D expenditure to grow to two percent of GDP by 2027. It works to show businesses how to get started on their innovation journey and to stimulate local and global demand for New Zealand innovation. Callaghan Innovation works to reduce fragmentation in the innovation ecosystem, helping businesses to identify opportunities and work together to achieve shared goals. It partners with businesses to reduce risk by providing the right support at the right time to give investment into innovation the greatest chance of success.

Gracefield is central to Callaghan Innovation’s mission to help New Zealand understand where technology is taking the world, and how we need to get there.

GIQ Programme Business Case

Our vision is to transform GIQ into a vibrant, supportive and connected innovation community.

In May 2019 the Government approved a Programme Business Case for the GIQ Programme of works, which undertook to improve safety, compliance and resilience at the site as well as to develop the facilities and partnerships to deliver an innovation community.

We are two years into a four year programme of work, being delivered through defined tranches of work. Work is underway to address the most immediate issues on site, that will provide the foundations for future development of the site. However, redeveloping Gracefield goes beyond just developing assets on the site, but is also about harnessing and developing what goes on inside the buildings and beyond.