Ten years after the enactment of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, that manages the introduction of new biological control agents in New Zealand, regulation and research have taken a further step forward with the establishment of a new research venture focussed on border biosecurity issues. A programme within this entitled ‘Improved biosafety for ERMA decisions’ brings researchers, regulators (ERMA NZ) and the conservators of the natural estate (Department of Conservation) together in framework which requires all parties to participate in priority setting and research planning. This ensures that the funding is being used to address relevant research which the end-user agencies are able to implement, and which will assist applicants. This paper will address a recent amendment to the HSNO Act which provides for ‘conditional’ releases to be made with controls, and how this will be underpinned by research. Other new research initiatives will also be outlined.