The Institute for Crop and Food Research was formed in 1992 as a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

-based biological science

Biology

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

 Crown Research Institute researching new knowledge in five main areas:

• sustainable water and land use
  Land use
  Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
  
  
• high performance plants
• personalised foods
• high value marine products
• biomolecule
  Biomolecule
  A biomolecule is any molecule that is produced by a living organism, including large polymeric molecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids as well as small molecules such as primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, and natural products...
  
  s and biomaterial
  Biomaterial
  A biomaterial is any matter, surface, or construct that interacts with biological systems. The development of biomaterials, as a science, is about fifty years old. The study of biomaterials is called biomaterials science. It has experienced steady and strong growth over its history, with many...
  
  s

It had an annual turnover of approximately $53 million (2006) and a staff of 370. Its research funding came from a mix of local and international industry and government sources, and its research spanned both fundamental and applied research.

On 6 June 2003, a Piper Navajo Chieftain on a charter flight from Palmerston North

Palmerston North

Palmerston North is the main city of the Manawatu-Wanganui region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is an inland city with a population of and is the country's seventh largest city and eighth largest urban area. Palmerston North is located in the eastern Manawatu Plains near the north bank...

 to Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

 crashed on approach to Christchurch Airport, killing the pilot and seven Crop and Food employees, and seriously injuring two others.

On 1 December 2008 Crop & Food Research (company number 547965) merged with HortResearch

HortResearch

HortResearch was a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. The focus of research in this company was mainly in the development of new fruit varieties and other food products...

 to form New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research

New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research

Plant & Food Research is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute . The institute was formed on 1 December 2008 by merging existing CRIs HortResearch and Crop and Food Research....

trading as Plant and Food Research.