Empowering community creativity and engagement has been recognised in BioHeritage’s Ngā Rākau Taketake (Saving our Iconic Trees) Mobilising for Action (MFA) programme with two co-leads being honoured with a Team Award in this year’s University of Auckland awards. Social, arts, mātauranga Māori and ecology researcher Dr Mark Harvey (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāruahine iwi) , in the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries, and social scientist Dr Marie McEntee, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Environment, have just been announced as one of the recipients of the 2024 Research Impact Award as part of the University’s Hīkina kia Tutuki – Rise to meet the challenge, Celebrating Research Excellence awards.
Mobilising for Action (MFA) has been researching the human dimension of ngahere/forest health in Aotearoa New Zealand, specifically the people and communities affected by, or at risk of being affected by kauri dieback and myrtle rust. By focusing on the human dimensions of forest biosecurity, the programme has been developing a collective sense of responsibility for our forests, through a range of projects, including innovative ways to bring communities on board about how to best deal with kauri dieback.
The MFA programme has explored how are people connecting to te taiao, what motivates them to care or act to save our taonga species, and how people can be empowered to make a difference now and, in the future, to ensure the well-being of te taiao for the coming generations.
The awards, for recipients leading change for the better in Aotearoa New Zealand, celebrate how innovative research transforms communities and society for the better, said Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research Professor Frank Bloomfield. “Research impact can have many definitions. For these awards it is defined as the contribution that research and creative practice makes to society, the environment and the economy. Across the University, researchers are working with a broad range of communities and stakeholders to harness the power of excellent research and innovative thinking to address a variety of pressing problems.”
Mark and Marie will get their prize (and prize money) at a special event in October.
There’s more information on the Mobilising for Action website and the inventory of research outputs and resources.