Researchers install pollen trap on roof of Auckland Museum

The installation is part of a new research collaboration with asthma and allergy researchers from the University of Auckland and Professor Rewi Newnham of Victoria University.

The green metallic pollen trap, that looks like a small spacecraft with a large sail, will gather daily data on the allergenic plant pollen and spores present in the air.

Currently, public information on airborne pollen is modelled on trends observed decades ago and the likelihood of certain types of pollen being in the air. The last time pollen was actually trapped and analysed in Auckland and across New Zealand generally was in 1988 and 1989, as part of a project led by former Massey researcher Dr David Fountain. Professor Rewi Newnham contributed to this initial study while also completing his PhD at the University of Auckland.  

Back in 1988, the pollen trap was also on the roof of the museum, which is an ideal location as it is elevated and open on all four sides. Therefore, the current project represents a renewal of 30-year-old pollen research linkages between Massey, the University of Auckland and the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

The project is being led by Dr Amy Chan and Dr Stuti Misra from the University of Auckland Medical School. Dr Chan is leading a project funded by Auckland Medical Research Foundation, the Health Research Council and Life AI Corp, which will follow 300 asthma patients six months each o see whether there are correlations between their symptoms and the amounts and types of pollen observed in the air. Dr Misra will examine those with and without eye allergies for a year, for inflammatory cells on the eye surface that may be caused due to pollen changes in different seasons.

Dr Holt says, “Given how much our vegetation cover has changed since initial studies were done, coupled with the impacts of climate change on pollen production and release times, the current data is woefully insufficient for assessing the strength of a causative relationship between allergy symptoms and pollen today."

Dr Chan says there’s a real need to look at pollen and how it relates to health.

"This is the first time in 35 years we’ve been able to do it using pollen capture, which is why it’s really exciting.”

Auckland Museum Asset Manager Edward Howell said the museum is dedicated to supporting research that benefits people in Tāmaki Makaurau and across New Zealand.

“The unique characteristics of the museum building, including its elevated position and clear surroundings of the Domain, makes it the ideal location for the pollen traps, so we are excited to have been able to support Dr Chan and Dr Misra's research.

“Auckland Museum is one of the oldest research institutions in Aotearoa and we are happy to support researchers, especially if it helps us better understand our surrounding environment," he says.

The prevalence of both asthma and allergic rhinitis (aka hayfever) in New Zealand have been increasing over the last few decades, particularly among children. This pollen capture study forms part of a larger project tackling New Zealand’s globally high rates of asthma and asthma attacks.

As with so many other aspects of public health, Māori and Pacific communities are disproportionally impacted by incidence of allergic rhinitis and asthma. In a recent study, Dr Chan and co-investigators found there was a one-third increase in total asthma attacks in the decade to 2019 in this country, with half of hospital admissions being Māori or Pacific people.

The team is assisted by two researchers, doctoral researcher Laura McDonald and master's student Natasha Ngadi from the University of Auckland, who Dr Holt has trained in the operation of the sampler and preparation of samples for microscopy.

Once prepared, Miss McDonald will identify and count the different types of pollen present in the samples, under the supervision of Dr Holt and Professor Newnham.

One of the long-term goals of the project is to build a case for the introduction of permanent automated pollen monitoring stations throughout the country so people could access real-time data on pollen that could inform care of all types of allergic reactions from hay fever to asthma, eczema and allergic eye conditions.

Automated airborne pollen analysis is just coming online, with several such stations already permanently installed in Australia. The approach of this pollen collaboration is an important step in demonstrating that there is a causative relationship between asthma/allergies and pollen, and developing a ‘gold standard’ reference for which automated systems can be calibrated against.

Dr Holt says that with such a need for information on allergens, the green metal pollen trap will be worth its weight in gold.