The commercialisation has led to greater emphasis on financial viability, and Manaaki Whenua is employed by various private groups to provide advice and information.

The International Collection of Microorganisms from Plants in Auckland holds live bacterial and fungal specimens that are preserved under liquid nitrogen or in freeze dried ampoules.

The Allan Herbarium (CHR) Te Kohinga Tipu o Aotearoa at Lincoln, contains species from around the world but specialises in plants (indigenous and exotic) of the New Zealand region and the Pacific.

Manaaki Whenua is kaitiaki of an ethnobotanical collection of traditional weaving varieties of harakeke (NZ flax, Phormium spp.)

The 50 harakeke were selected long ago from natural stands and cultivated by Māori weavers for their special leaf and fibre properties.

Science includes research into the processes that maintain New Zealand's ecosystems, enable natural flora, fauna and fungi to flourish, and protect soil and catchments for a range of production and other purposes.

The impacts of disruption to ecosystems; biosecurity risks from foreign weeds, pests and micro-organisms; and contamination to land, water and air caused by the production of natural, manufactured or waste compounds are investigated.