About us
Our vision at AgroBioTechNZ is to revolutionize agriculture and food production in New Zealand by harnessing the power of beneficial microbes. We aim to be the leading biotech company in the country, providing innovative and sustainable solutions for farmers, growers, and the environment. Our goal is to create healthier and more productive soils, resulting in healthier and more abundant crops, while reducing the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. With a commitment to scientific research, environmental stewardship, and collaboration with our partners, we aspire to make a significant and positive impact on the future of agriculture and the well-being of our planet.
AgroBioTechNZ manufactures Biological Inoculants for the NZ and Australian Markets. It was started in 2023 by Dr. Von Johnston, Mike Daly and Paul Daly who were early adopters of biological technology to enhance agriculture in NZ through their companies Enformtech (www.enformtech.com/) and Naturefarm (www.naturefarm.co.nz). Naturefarm (Mike and Paul) had just invested in a new fermentation technology plant, when a visit from Dr. Von start a chain reaction which led to the formation of AgroBiotechNZ. Dr. Von and Enformtech provide the licensed proprietary strains, world class R&D and cutting edge expertise in fermentation and Paul and Mike bring industry leading expertise in production, marketing and distribution to the table. Together AgrobiotechNZ aims to bring immediate results for their clients while improving long-term soil health and biological diversity.
Meet the Team
Dr. Von Johnson
Dr. Von Johnson is an internationally recognised industrial microbiologist and a well known leader in his field. He has over 36 years of experience in research and industry, with an impressive track record. Dr. Johnson has successfully commercialised several bioproducts and bioprocesses, and is acclaimed for a number of ground-breaking achievements in the bioformulation field. A number of patents invented by Dr. Johnson have been commercialised into products which are currently marketed. Some of technologies/IP developed by Dr. Johnson are protected as trade secrets and licensed to client companies under strict confidentiality. EnFormTech has licensed the microbial strains for the production of the AgroBiotechNZ BioFertiliser range.
Mike Daly
Mike Daly worked for 24 years in Agricultural and Horticultural Research, during this time Mike heard a presentation about EM, a microbial inoculant, and imported it into New Zealand from Japan for research purposes. The research was based on using EM in New Zealand systems and positive results using EM were obtained. Following this Naturefarm/EMNZ was founded in 2001 by Mike as a trading company for EM in New Zealand. As an early pioneer of microbial technology in Agriculture in NZ, Mike has helped grow this industry and through AgroBioTechNZ looks forward to introducing new innovation to the NZ and Australia markets.
Paul Daly
After a decade working in Marketing positions across the Finance and Events industries in Melbourne and London in 2013, Paul returned to Christchurch with his young family. He joined Naturefarm in 2013, with father Mike and since then he has been getting his hands dirty learning all about soil biology and microbial inoculants. His skills lie in Business Development and building distribution partners and he is responsible for the commercial side of AgroBioTechNZ.