History of Wallaceville

History of the Wallaceville Science Campus

1892 –	Position of Secretary of Agriculture gazetted and Department of Agriculture established by amalgamating the agricultural section of the Lands Department (three dairy experts and a pomologist) with the stock department. Mr J.D. Ritchie was appointed Secretary of Agriculture and Sir John McKenzie became the first Minister of Agriculture.
1893 –	J.A.Gilruth became the first qualified veterinarian on the staff of the Department of Agriculture. He was recruited in Scotland, falsifying his age to win the appointment, taking charge of the veterinary division before he was 23. In his early years in New Zealand, Gilruth was preoccupied with identifying disease problems, and soon realised he would need a laboratory. The first veterinary laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere was a converted generator shed in Sydney Street previously used for supplying power to Parliament Buildings. It was an improvement, but Gilruth pushed for better facilities.
1899 –	Veterinary staff had grown to four, with Gilruth in charge. By 1902, there were 24.
1903 –	Gilruth moved into the public health laboratory, leaving the Sydney Street building for clerical work, though post mortems still had to be done in the yard. That year, his 10-year fight to get a laboratory was successful.
1905 –	Wallaceville opened without ceremony. It was not only a laboratory – Gilruth directed the entire Division of Veterinary Science of 22 vets and 40 meat inspectors from there.
1906 –	The South African Government offered Gilruth a post similar to the one he held, but at a much higher salary. The letter was sent via the Prime Minister’s office, but Seddon deliberately withheld the letter until after the offer had expired. Gilruth was furious when he found out and resigned on the spot. Gilruth accepted the position of inaugural dean of the newly-formed Veterinary College at Melbourne University in 1909. Dr C.J Reakes took over from Gilruth. Gilruth left a legacy. He founded the meat inspection service, travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand, fought for control of tuberculosis and spent considerable time upskilling farmers on animal health matters. He initiated the compulsory registration of veterinary surgeons and started the veterinary division. When he left, field veterinarians were stationed at Christchurch, Dunedin, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington and Auckland. All were from England, recruited by Gilruth. Gilruth also fought for the establishment of a veterinary college in New Zealand.
1907 –	Wallaceville benefited from Gilruth’s drive to develop the facilities. By 1907, 85 acres had been stumped and cleared, 45 acres of it sown in permanent pasture, with fencing and other development. Oats and forage crops were grown for the animals.
1909 –	The Department of Agriculture was re-organised and the Livestock and Meat Division formed. Among its duties was responsibility for the Wallaceville laboratory. Reakes became director, and was replaced at Wallaceville by H.A. Reid.
During	World War One – Wallaceville, apart from urgent diagnostic work, became a veterinary hospital, directing much of its work to the war effort. Care of horses at nearby Trentham Camp became a major part of the work. Some staff went overseas on military service, leaving few staff at Wallaceville. In the five years after World War One, Wallaceville produced nearly 1,000,000 doses of blackleg vaccine, routinely examined milk for tuberculosis and mastitis and carried out fertiliser trials.
1926 –	Experimental poultry farm set up.
1929 –	Extensions to the original 1905 laboratory were completed, doubling the size of the original building, including four extra labs, a museum, store room, inside toilet and photography studio.
1931 –	Quarantine station for imported dogs set up at Wallaceville.
1934 –	Wallaceville split up into self-contained sections – Diagnostic, Bacteriology, Pathology, Nutrition and Parasitology. A chemistry section and a dairy laboratory were run separately. A photography servicing unit was also established.
1938 –	Animal research division formed. The “Wallaceville Laboratory” becomes known as the Wallaceville Animal Research Station.
1939-45 –	World War Two. Several Wallaceville staff were appointed to the Veterinary Corps. All horses were used for troop training and coastal protection – meaning a large number of horses were back at Trentham. 15 staff of a total of 50 served in the forces, again leaving Wallaceville shorthanded.
1940 –	More than 1,300,000 doses of various vaccines prepared and distributed.
1941 –	New building opened at Wallaceville, allowing original 1905 building (extended in 1929) to be used solely for diagnostic work.
1943 –	Request for table poultry for American hospitals and convalescent homes in the Pacific. Chickens were to be supplied year round, and slaughtering and production methods at least equal to those practiced in the United States. Table poultry had never been a major aspect of poultry farming in New Zealand, confined principally to the sale of surplus cockerels during the rearing season, and disposal of unwanted laying birds.
1944 –	Research on bees begins at Wallaceville.
	The post-war years saw a phase of study of new antibiotics for veterinary applications, particularly penicillin for mastitis in cows and studies with gammaxane, a compound related to DDT, which improved sheep resistance to lice, the first breakthrough in sheep dipping in 100 years. It also saw the development of aerial topdressing using surplus military aircraft, in which Wallaceville was involved. Later, with further input from Wallaceville, the aerial technique was used to topdress cobalt deficient hill country cheaply, opening up more land for grazing.
1948 –	Improved vaccines developed after it was found vaccination breakdowns occurred in stressful situations.
1951 –	Wallaceville staff exceed 100. Later, it grows even more – to 160.
1955 –	Farm at Kaitoke purchased – the first land purchase in over 50 years – for use as a research farm.
1958 –	1958 onwards – increasing production by control of disease. This research, along with other encouragement, contributed to farm production doubling in the first 25 years after the war.
1961 –	Department of Agriculture renamed Ministry of Agriculture.
1965 –	Wallaceville Animal Research Station becomes Wallaceville Animal Research Centre. Several regional laboratories had been established around the country. Wallaceville does less diagnostic work and becomes more of a reference laboratory.
1969 –	Research on docking of cows tails versus the effect on milk supply undertaken.
Early	1970's Tuberculosis research proves relationship of opossums and spread of tuberculosis.
1970 –	Staff now over 170. More than 200 by mid-70s.
1974 –	Brucellosis Eradication Scheme, based at Wallaceville. Brucellosis is a bacterial disease causing abortion in cattle. By 1984, only 34 infected herds remained in New Zealand and full eradication was in sight.
1976 –	Scrapie confirmed in a quarantine flock of sheep at Mana Island. The diagnosis was made by Wallaceville. 700 sheep had to be destroyed.
1978 –	First stage of new building complex (library, office, cafeteria, studio and apiculture laboratories) opens. Wallaceville holds its first open day.
Late 1980s -	The latter years of Wallaceville have seen the establishment there of the Crown Research Institute, AgResearch. MAF retains the Central Animal Health laboratory in leased premises on the site.
1992 –	Ministry of Fisheries splits. AgResearch and other CRIs established.
1998 –	MAF National Centre for Diseases Investigation replaces MAF Quality Management’s Central Animal Health Laboratory. NCDI has a wider role than its predecessor.
Key functions of Biosecurity New Zealand’s Investigation and Diagnostic Centre Scientific and technical assessments of animal disease including zoonoses (diseases that spread from animals to humans) and diseases of native animals. Testing of samples for exotic and emerging diseases and pests under biosecure conditions. Management of the investigation, diagnosis and control of emerging and exotic diseases of animals. Management of the investigation of reports of introduction of exotic environmental pests (includes reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates etc). Assessments of the epidemiology of exotic and emerging diseases. Test development and validation relating to Biosecurity New Zealand’s core role. Management of New Zealand’s exotic disease and pest reporting system.