Ljubljana Urban Region and New Zealand regions Manawatū and Taranaki sign Memorandum of Understanding
The partnership in the forming – 1st IURC Global Thematic Networking workshop at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2025, Barcelona. Photo: RRA LUR
On 16 February 2026, the Ljubljana Urban Region and the New Zealand regions of Manawatū and Taranaki signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of agriculture and innovation. The partnership is established under the European Union’s International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme, which fosters collaboration between European regions and global partners.
The cooperation forms part of the IURC Community of Practice on agriculture and innovation. The Ljubljana Urban Region leads the community for cooperation with New Zealand, while the Region of Catalonia leads cooperation with Japan. The community aims to create and share knowledge on advanced agricultural technologies, research, and innovative business models among regions in Europe, Asia, and Australasia.
The MoU was signed by the Regional Development Agencies of the Ljubljana Urban Region, Taranaki, and Manawatū following several months of in-person and online meetings, during which partners identified common regional challenges and opportunities for long-term collaboration.
“The regions have identified a strong opportunity to cooperate in developing successful value chains for innovative food and fibre products and in supporting businesses in their internationalisation efforts”, stressed Tina Pezdirc Nograšek, Head of International Relations and Strategic Partnerships at the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region and Community Lead for New Zealand.
Matt Lamb, Strategy and Investment Lead at Venture Taranaki, highlighted that it is increasingly important for regions to diversify land-based activities and develop sustainable, high-value production systems. He underlined that the partnership will contribute to producing forward-looking guidance on how to initiate and sustain resilient value chains.
Ashley O’Neil, responsible for the Manawatū Regional Food Strategy at the Central Economic Development Agency, added that Manawatū hosts several world-class research organisations with strong expertise in land-use and natural resource sciences, which will make a significant contribution to the project.
Under the Memorandum, the partners have established a clear collaboration framework with defined milestones through the end of 2026. Project outputs will be published on the websites of the participating regions and on the IURC platform.
European and New Zealand regions sign MoU on agriculture and innovation