For years, Riki Parata has been the kaiārihi taiao (environmental lead) for the environmental efforts of Hokonui Rūnanga, one of 18 rūnanga (local councils) of Ngāi Tahu and the only one located in inland Te Waipounamu (South Island). Riki did an environmental science Master’s at the University of Waikato, focusing on kōura (freshwater crayfish). He […]
Month: June 2024
Taonga Research – the long dream
Duane Peltzer – came for the science, stayed for the people
Duane was born and trained in Canada, originally as a freshwater ecologist. Wanting to work more with plants, he pursued ethnobotany before becoming a plant ecologist. “Some of my work was on latitudinal tree lines and the effects of fire on vegetation,” says Duane. “I was curious about vegetation distribution and why things are in […]
Doing science differently: Lessons learned from BioHeritage
BioHeritage, like the other National Science Challenges, started out as an experiment in mission-led research. As with any good experiment, a key step is to reflect on the process and outcomes, so that any lessons learned can be carried into the future. In 2022, a project idea to ‘science the science’ was spun out of […]
Ngā Pī Ka Rere: Early Careers who are #OpenToWork
Here are some details on a few of our rising stars, and the types of opportunities they are seeking and where they are hoping to work: Ally Palmer, social scientist (Auckland) Ally is a social scientist who studies conservation and human-animal relationships. Most recently, she’s been looking at social challenges for PF2050. She specialises in […]
Did someone say market research campaign guides?
The SO2: Empowering Kaitiakitanga & Environmental Stewardship team have been working to give government agencies, environmental organisations, and community groups new information for designing interventions to encourage high-impact behaviours that will benefit urban freshwater systems in some way. The team’s recent publication, which we spoke to researcher Lynette McLeod about back in February, provides a rank list […]