Chance encounter of a shrubby kind

university-of-waikato

Mon Feb 23 2009 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Chance encounter of a shrubby kind

Monday, 23 February 2009, 12:27 pm
Press Release: University of Waikato

Media Release
February 23, 2009

A chance encounter with a rare shrub – once used extensively in Maori medicine – has set Kawerau man Graeme Weavers on the path to research success.

He’s just been awarded a $23,752 research fellowship by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to help fund his two-year Masters research project into the genetic diversity and population dynamics of the poroporo plant (Solanum aviculare), a native of New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea.

“Poroporo is used widely in Europe and Asia in treating rheumatoid arthritis, skin disorders and as a hormonal contraceptive – which corresponds almost exactly to its traditional Maori cultural uses,” says Weavers.

“It appears to be in decline here in New Zealand, especially in the North Island, so I’m looking at the reasons why. We also hope to encourage its use in restoration plantings. Making poroporo more available may help in restoring its use as a rongoa, or traditional herbal remedy.”

Weavers is one of three Waikato students to be awarded Te Tipu Putaiao Fellowships, which aim to help improve New Zealand’s scientific knowledge and enhance Maori involvement in scientific study.

“I got interested in poroporo when I was given a specimen by an ecologist,” says Weavers, who started out as a horticulturalist. “An old kaumatua recognised the plant and said he hadn’t seen it around since he was a kid. Then I spotted quantities of it growing on a landslip in the Tarawera Forest Reserve, and wanted to find out more about why and how it had appeared there.”

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Poroporo thrives on disturbed ground, but land clearances, pest grazing and increasing urbanisation have made it harder and harder to find. The shrub is now locally extinct in some areas and confined generally to managed areas and reserves.

Weavers is currently looking at the gene flow between different populations of poroporo in the Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and the South Island; he’s also looking at how the seed is spread and colonises, as well as collecting growth data. In addition, surveys are going out to DoC and to Tangata Whenua for their input.

“If we can restore poroporo populations on the scrubby open areas it likes, then the opportunity is there to utilise it locally for pharmaceutical purposes,” says Weavers. “We’ve got a long history of using this plant, but we’ve almost forgotten about it, and that appears to correspond to its ecological decline.”

A mature student, Weavers completed his first degree at Te Whare Ananga o Awanuiarangi in Whakatane before enrolling for his Masters at Waikato, supervised by Dr Chrissen Gemmill and Professor Bruce Clarkson.

“I wish I’d come to uni years ago,” he says. “I thought I’d be stuck with a bunch of old fuddy duddies, but the staff at the Centre for Biodiversity and Ecological Research here at Waikato are dynamic and couldn’t be more friendly and helpful.

“They’re experts in their field, yet they’re not standing above me, they’re standing beside me saying how can I help you and how can you help me. It’s an incredibly stimulating environment.”

ENDS

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