The biennial National Soils Conference is a highlight for many soil scientists. These events are a great opportunity for like-minded soil enthusiasts to come together to chat all things terra firma. Last year’s conference, held in conjunction with the New Zealand Society of Soil Science, was no exception.
Two of Australia’s Regional Soil Coordinators, Tasmania’s Belinda Nielsen and Victoria’s Dr Peter Fisher recount their experience from across the ditch.
The conference was a wonderful opportunity to discover new research being undertaken in soil science, meet old and new friends, and take in the soils, sights, and smells of Rotorua. Significantly, this year also welcomed many first-time representatives from the Pacific Region, who brought so much energy and unique perspective to both the soil judging competition and the conference presentations.
The opening moments of the conference made it clear these few days were to have a different feel to previous conferences. The delegates were treated to a traditional Māori welcome, and a truly special, grounding introductory speech from conference MC, Kingi Biddle, whose tribal affiliations are Ngāti Whakaue, Te Arawa whānui, Ngai Tūhoe, Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau a Apanui, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Rereahu. His introductions to all the conference sessions featured inspiring stories of the Māori connection to soil and land, and taught the delegates some important Māori phrases like Te Kiri o Papatūānuku or ‘the skin of Mother Earth’
With five concurrent sessions each day and a total of approximately 200 oral presentations covering many diverse topics, it would be ungracious to try and select highlights of the conference. Some memorable presentations we attended included those from Dr Richard Doyle, who, having just retired as Associate Professor of Soil Science at the University of Tasmania, reflected on his experiences of teaching soil science for problem solving and the importance of hands-on experience for students. In the same session, Dr Peter Fisher presented a paper on issues that constrain rapid adoption of improved soil practices, developed in conjunction with his role as a member of the Smart Soils National Community of Practice. Soil physics research is arguably at a low level compared to other soil disciplines, however, fascinating research from Ms Chenting Jiang as part of the Soil CRC, demonstrated that important advances can still be made by combining new computing power with traditional soil theory.
We could only see a small number of these presentations and there was a lots of waving at people as delegates rushed from one session to another to catch a particular speaker! Field trips to volcanoes, dairy pastures and forestry all surpassed expectations. A heartfelt thank you to the conference and trip organisers – wow!
We’re looking forward to seeing you all at the next National Soil Science Conference, being held in Perth, 1-6 November 2026.
The network of Regional Soils Coordinators are members of the Smart Soils National Community of Practice convened by Soil Science Australia.
The Regional Soils Coordinators and the Smart Soils National Community of Practice are supported by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.
For more information and to connect with your Regional Soil Coordinator, see: https://www.soilscienceaustralia.org.au/smart-farms-smart-soils-home/smart-farms-smart-soils-community-of-practice/