New Zealand is one of the world's most geographically isolated and biodiverse landmasses. As a result of continental drift New Zealand has been separated from other landmasses for over 80 million years. Since this time life in New Zealand has followed its own unique evolutionary path. Today over 80% of its higher plants and 90% of its animal species are found nowhere else on earth. Along side this flora and fauna has co-evolved a unique microbial diversity which is almost completely unexplored.

To maximise the likelihood of discovering unique microbes we focus on obtaining microbes associated with endemic plants in native forest habitats and on microbes from marine invertebrates and plants. Novel microbes are more likely to be associated with novel properties than known strains. The attainment of diversity within the microbial taxa of interest is a critical first step in a microbial discovery programme.