Māra moana: Restoring the foundations of flourishing coastal ecosystems
Project Leader(s) Dr Matthew Desmond (UoO) Project Team Duong Lee (UoO) Kelp forest ecosystems, specifically those dominated by Macrocystis pyrifera form the backbone of many of New Zealand’s most productive and culturally important fisheries. M. pyrifera is known by many names around the world but for the purpose of this project we will use the […]
Falafolaloa: spreading the mats of welcome and belonging
Project Leader(s) Associate Professor Rosalina Richards (UoO) Project Team Dr Troy Ruhe, Talai Mapusua, Michael Lameta, Professor Chris Hepburn Pacific models of health emphasise the importance of the natural environment for well-being, with indigenous Pacific communities intrinsically linked with their environmental context. While, as Pacific peoples living in Aotearoa, we no longer have access to […]
Maintaining and expanding longitudinal monitoring: Southern (Otago) Moorings
Project Leader(s) Dr Daniel Pritchard (UoO) Project Team Dr Kim Currie, Judith Murdock In many places around the world, including in Aotearoa New Zealand, there is a growing realisation of the value of well-maintained and executed environmental and ecosystem monitoring. Increasingly we are aware that to properly confront the challenges of climate change high quality […]
Parāroa of the South Pacific
Project Leader(s) Dr Will Rayment (UoO) Project Team Dr Alana Alexander This project will highlight the connections among populations of parāoa (sperm whales) within Aotearoa New Zealand and across the Pacific and investigate the effect of the changing ocean environment on distribution and demographic parameters. The project will make use of the longitudinal study conducted […]
Connecting Coastal Communities across Moana Nui a Kiwa
Project Leader(s) Professor Richard Walter (University of Otago) Project Team Dr Armagan Sabetian, Dr Karen Greig, Jillian Sabetian, Brendan Flack, Nixon Silaspio This project builds on existing relationships with two villages in the Western Province, Solomon Islands. These are Kokorapa village on Nusa Roviana, New Georgia and Vavanga village, on Kolombangara. In New Zealand we […]
Connecting to our coastal heritage places
Project Leader(s) Dr Karen Greig (University of Otago) Project Team Professor Richard Walter, Dr Jenny Rock, Sally Carson, Dr Nicola Litchfield, Mr Richard Woods, Stella August, Wikitoria Moore, Edith Tuhimata, Dr Matthew Campbell This project addresses the potential loss of coastal heritage places arising from sea-level rise and climate change and the implications for wellbeing […]
Mr Hoturoa Kerr
Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr (Tainui) is the captain of the oceangoing waka Haunui. Hotu has been sailing around the Pacific for more than thirty-five years. He paddles waka, sails waka, teaches waka. In 2020 he was awarded Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori and heritage commemoration. Hoturoa grew up with his […]
Prof Tracy McIntosh
Tracey McIntosh (Ngāi Tūhoe) is Professor of Indigenous Studies at Wānanga o Waipapa (School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies) at the University of Auckland. She is the Chief Science Advisor for the Ministry of Social Development and a Commissioner of Te Kāhui Tātari Ture: Criminal Cases Review Commission. She was the former Co-Director of […]
Prof Richard Blaikie
Professor Blaikie is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Enterprise, and Professor in Physics, at the University of Otago. He received the B.Sc. (Hons) degree from the University of Otago, New Zealand, in 1988 and the Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Cambridge, U.K., in 1992. For one year, he was a visiting scientist […]
Dr Paula Vivili
Dr Paula Vivili is the Deputy Director-General Science and Capability at the Pacific Community (SPC) – an inter-government organisation with 27 members: 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories and five metropolitan members – Australia, France, New Zealand, UK, and USA. He oversees SPC’s technical programmes including its Geoscience, Energy and Maritime Division. Prior to this […]