Massey University presents Michael Way,
of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Please join us to hear Michael talk about the significance of the Millennium Seed Bank Project, the largest ex situ plant conservation project in the world, and the work being undertaken here in New Zealand.

RSVP by Monday March 17, 2014

Email massey.foundation@massey.ac.nz or telephone 06 350 5464

Michael Way CEnv MIEEM is Head of Collecting & Network Support for the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Through an international network of over 100 partner organisations in 50 countries, RBG Kew provides technical leadership in the collection and long-term storage of wild plant germplasm in seed banks.  Already storing samples of over 10% of the world’s seed bearing plant species, the group prioritises useful and threatened species which can be propagated and used in recovery and restoration programmes.  Based at RBG Kew’s country garden of Wakehurst Place in Sussex, United Kingdom, Michael is one of the founders of the UK Native Seed Hub initiative, which provides high quality seed and technical advice to UK wildflower growers in order to stimulate more effective habitat restoration with appropriate origin seed.

Michael has a degree in Applied and Environmental Biology from the University of York, UK (1988) and has field experience primarily from UK and from the Americas, where he coordinated Kew’s seed conservation projects until 2010.    He develops and shares best practice in access to genetic resources and seed collecting through a wide range of projects and through the MSB technical training programme.  The Head of Collecting & Network Support also forms part of the Seed Conservation Departmental Management Team defining MSBP strategy and monitoring achievements on a regular basis.