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In a series of short profiles we are spotlighting the work of our engagement team with a focus on how they are available to support our researchers.

Nadine Hura and Naomi Simmonds are our two Kaitakawaenga. Their mahi is centred on supporting the Vision Mātauranga research teams.  

Nadine Hura

Ko wai koe?

Kia ora koutou, ki te taha o tōku Pāpā ko Ngāti Hine te iwi, nō Waiōmio. Ki te taha o tōku Māmā, no te awa Mersey, ki Ingarani.  E noho mātou ko aku tamariki tokotoru ki raro i te maru o Whitireia. I grew up in South Auckland but am lucky to live now in Titahi Bay, together with my three almost-grown up kids.

When did you join the DSC and how do you describe what you do in one sentence?

I’ve been with the Deep South Challenge for nearly two years, in a role I am very lucky to share with Naomi Simmonds. We work closely with Vision Mātauranga research teams, supporting their kaupapa and the aspirations of Māori communities taking action to restore and protect whenua and people, while the pressures and strains of “climate change” intensify. 

Why might a researcher want to get in touch with you?

Our role is primarily one of connecting. Within the Deep South Challenge, we are resourced to actively support teams to develop their own relationships and connections. We know that the benefits of these hononga cannot always be measured in outputs, sometimes the benefits are revealed in unexpected, even exponential, ways. Specifically, I can help facilitate connections between communities and central government agencies and sector stakeholders, within and between Vision Mātauranga teams, and also much more broadly across the arts, literature and journalism. We’re also keen to support international indigenous connections.

Alongside my role at the DSC, I’m a columnist for the Spinoff, mainly covering climate issues, so my skills and experience sit at the intersection between policy, evaluation, advocacy and the arts. I love supporting people to represent their own stories in their own words, bringing a much deeper and nuanced picture of the causes of, and responses to, climate change. Teams are welcome to contact me for any kind of support around media and or creative writing/storytelling.

When you’re not working at DSC, where are you most likely to be?

Probably writing a ranty Spinoff column, or a Substack newsletter, otherwise, I’ll be recovering from ranting with some soothing knitting.

How can people find you, and what’s your availability like?

I work part time across the week – except for Thursdays. If I don’t reply to emails on the same day, it might be because I’ve already clocked off for the day, but I do try to get back to people within a day or so.

I’m available on email, [email protected].

Naomi Simmonds

Ko wai koe?

Taku ara rā ko Tūrongo rāua ko Māhinaarangi, he ara tau tika ki ahau. Nō Raukawa ki te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere ahau. Ko Ngāti Huri, Ngāti Wehiwehi ngā hapū. Ko Pikitū rāua ko Pikitū ngā marae. Ko Naomi Simmonds ahau.

I am a mother and a researcher and am passionately involved with my hapū protecting and restoring our whenua and wāhi tūpuna. I currently live in Tūranganui-a-kiwa with my partner and children.

When did you join the DSC and how do you describe what you do in one sentence?

I moved into a Kaitakawaenga role from the DSC Kāhui in 2021. My role is to support Māori researchers in their kaupapa rangahau and in finding ways to share the amazing mahi they are doing in ways and in places that will create impact for them.

Why might a researcher want to get in touch with you?

Researchers might contact me to talk through their rangahau, any support they need, challenges they are facing or just to wānanga ideas. These are the kinds of conversations that I love and prioritise. They might also be looking for connections to other research, to literature and publications or other information that might support their work.

I will also be specifically providing support for developing journal articles or other publications with teams and where we can bring teams together to collaborate.

There may be other things that you want to discuss and so feel free to reach out and if we can’t help, we will find someone who can.

When you’re not working at DSC, where are you most likely to be?

My life is full outside of DSC trying my hand at gardening, travelling back to my marae in the Waikato, reading, walking and spending time with my whānau.

How can people find you, and what’s your availability like?

I am available most days of the week and I will put my out of office on if I am away from my computer for any length of time. I work flexibly but generally around the schedules of my tamariki and so may not respond as quickly to evening or weekend queries.

Email is the best way to contact me, [email protected]

Find out more about Vision Mātauranga here.

In a series of short profiles we are spotlighting the work of our engagement team with a focus on how they are available to support our researchers.

Kate Turner is our Climate Change Knowledge Broker. She supports researchers and stakeholders to access and understand Challenge datasets, and to translate the bigger picture of climate data.

Kate Turner

Ko wai koe?

I tipu ake au i runga i te haumaru o Kapukataumaka, i Ōtepoti, e kaukau ana i te wai pūangi o Te Tai-o-Araiteuru. I grew up in Ōtepoti, where the change of the seasons is clear, from the still, cold winters to the blossoming of kōwhai and daffodils reminding us that the days will warm. Which I miss, now living in blustery, (almost evergreen) Te Whanganui-a-Tara!

I am a sea ice scientist by training, and I am always looking for the interface of the science with what it means for people.

When did you join the DSC and how do you describe what you do in one sentence?

I’ve been with the DSC as Climate Change Knowledge Broker for two years now, and my role varies depending on who I am working with. I support access to data and information, both from projects out to users, and into projects where needed. I am an advocate for data and information to be open and accessible (where appropriate), and am working on ways to facilitate this.

I also work on external engagement, including events with central and local government and sector stakeholders to create space for researchers to reach into different user groups that their research can support and inform, directly championing DSC research at different hui, and developing larger synthesis style events.

Why might a researcher want to get in touch with you?

I am based at NIWA, so where there are links into some of the climate science research or researchers, whether that’s NIWA work or otherwise, I’ll facilitate connections where I can! Or if you have data from your project you want to make available to stakeholders, please get in touch.

We also create communications resources such as info and data sheets, and are open to suggestions for what would be useful. We work as a team a lot, especially to connect people up and with different audiences, so feel free to reach out and we will do our best to help.

When you’re not working at DSC, where are you most likely to be?

I play capoeira and dance with Wellington Batucada which bring me a lot of joy, as well as simple things like reading, gardening, creating beautiful things, and hanging out by the ocean.

How can people find you, and what’s your availability like?

Email is best in the first instance. Like everyone, we work a lot over Zoom/Teams, but I am up for face to face hui where possible. I work full time at the moment, though try to block my time so I am not constantly on email.

Contact me on: [email protected], 027 2338023

Me mihi poroporoaki ki a koe, e te pāpā, e te hoa pūmau o Lorna, e te hoa, haere, haere. Tangi ana te ngākau moū kua riro nei. Ko te utu o te aroha, ko te mamae,  e moe, e moe, e moe.

We must farewell Mike – a father, Lorna’s loved and loving partner, our dear colleague. Our hearts weep for you and for what has been taken. What is the consequence of love? It’s pain. Sleep peacefully, friend, sleep.

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of our colleague and friend, Mike Harvey. Mike, a climate champion and NIWA scientist for 29 years, has for some years been the lead of our Processes & Observations programme. 

Olaf Morgenstern, long-term friend and colleague of Mike, and lead of our Earth Systems Modelling and Projections programme, says, “I have lost an esteemed colleague, a pillar of our science, and a friend. He was among the first Wellington NIWA people I got to know because he was leading the Lauder team [where Olaf first landed in Aotearoa]. I remember the funny conversations we had in the bike shed, where he would park his converted e-bike which he used regularly. He was such a balanced character, always calm, in good humour, and pleasant to be with.” 

Mike joined our Challenge Leadership Team in 2019, after contributing as a researcher to our major Clouds and Aerosols project. He had a long-term interest in improving our understanding of processes that drive the climate system, and climate change, to better understand the efficacy of climate mitigation actions. Our previous Challenge Director Mike Williams says, “Mike had two roles in the Deep South Challenge. As a researcher, Mike was a leader in the measurement of clouds and aerosols in the Southern Ocean. He developed a strong collaboration with the University of Canterbury, which saw observational campaigns on several Tangaroa and NZ Navy voyages in the Southern Ocean. This work is highly regarded and has underpinned significant changes in how clouds and aerosols are modelled and hence how they impact climate projections. Mike was a quietly spoken but effective leader for the Processes and Observations programme. He coordinated funding to establish fundamental observation programmes for the Challenge and oversaw these with enthusiasm. Mike’s leadership in this space ensured that Challenge research was highly effective.”

Mike Harvey was one of those wonderful scientists who lived in alignment with the findings of his research. He was an innovator of tech to reduce his and his family’s carbon footprint, and was involved in many NIWA initiatives to count and track greenhouse gas emissions. In an interview in 2019, Mike said, “If I jump on to the wheels of emotion, I mainly feel optimistic. Trying out new things is always interesting and in finding things that work, I see there are practical actions I can take that make a tiny difference, but that can scale to something useful with collective action.”

There is still time to get it right.

Mike Harvey

More recently, Mike contributed to our submission on the draft National Adaptation Plan in May. After a long discussion on the shortcomings of the plan, Mike chimed in, reminding us that, “There is still time to get it right.” This message of hope we will continue to reflect on.

“Kei ōu ringaringa te ao”

At the end of August, we will be sadly farewelling Anne-Marie Rowe, our Challenge Manager. Anne-Marie has skillfully kept the Deep South Challenge on course over the past three years, through many navigational challenges, Covid-19 being only one of them! 

Anne-Marie started with the Deep South Challenge in 2019, coming to us from our sister National Science Challenge, Resilience to Nature’s Challenges. Phil Wiles, Challenge Director, notes that “I wouldn’t have made it through my first six months in the role without Anne-Marie to show me the ropes. I’m so grateful to her. The next organisation Anne-Marie works with will be very lucky to have her.”

Anne-Marie is returning south to her home town of Ōtautahi, where she’ll be starting at Antarctica NZ in mid-October. We wish Anne-Marie all the best for her move – she will be missed. Anne-Marie’s departure creates an exciting opportunity for someone wanting to be involved in a critical and fast-growing area of research and community – climate adaptation.

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā

We’re now on the lookout for a management superstar to guide us and grow with us over our final two years. The National Science Challenges conclude in June 2024, giving us a short time to ensure our research creates the impact we need in Aotearoa: to change in time for our changing climate.

 We’re looking for a manager who can work across strategic and operational levels to help us deliver impact from our research. We have an exciting work programme, which includes engaging with communities and hāpori Māori in more equitable and more innovative ways. 

You’ll have highly developed and nuanced interpersonal skills and an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in theory and in practice. You’ll be proactive, a problem solver, and able to strategically coordinate the many arms of the Challenge, while also leading essential administration and reporting, including financial reporting.     

Tono mai, apply here at: Manager, Deep South Challenge: Changing with our Climate – NIWA

Closes on 4 September

There’s increasing amounts of research about climate adaptation, including about methods of community engagement. But practical guidance around how to engage communities for climate adaptation is less well-covered. Engaging with a community on climate adaptation is as much an art as it is a science. 

We are pleased to share our new infosheet on community engagement for climate adaptation. Based on several of our previous research projects the infosheet presents a concise starting point for council staff undertaking community engagement. 

We don’t need to tell people what they think or need to do. Councils can lead this by empowering communities to make their own choices and supporting them through access to good information.

Jacqui Hastie

To some degree, climate adaptation is the ability to use what we do know to make the best decisions about what we don’t know. It is widely accepted that communities should have a role in adaptation decisions that will affect them, and many governing regulations include requirements on councils to provide opportunities for public participation.

Furthermore, iwi, hapū and whānau, through Te Tiriti o Waitangi, have a right to partner on these decisions. While there’s no adaptation rule book, some valuable insights from Deep South Challenge researchers, councils and communities with adaptation experiences are worth sharing. This infosheet is a free and frank distillation of the key questions and answers we, as well as experienced council staff, are often asked.

Thank you to all those who gave feedback to help us craft this infosheet, in particular to adaptation champion Jacqui Hastie. 

We can adapt, we’ve done it before and we can do it again. 

This event has been cancelled for now, as our key speaker is unwell. Please reach out with any questions: [email protected]

Matariki and our understandings of climate and environmental change

Join us this Matariki for a very special conversation between Rikki Solomon and Naomi Simmonds on Matariki, the maramataka and understanding climatic and environmental change.

Tuia ki te rangi, Tuia ki te whenua, Tuia ki te moana.
E rongo te pō, E rongo te ao.
It is written in the heavens, upon the land, and the ocean.
And balanced between night and day.

This whakatauākī is used to navigate the environment, aligning what is happening in the movements of the celestial bodies (the sun, moon and stars) with what is happening here on land and at sea. We can read ‘what is happening’ in the wind and tides, and in the behaviour of trees, plants, birds and fish, among other tohu. For Rikki Solomon, our guest speaker, this whakatauākī speaks to our ability to respond to climate change through our relationship with the taiao.

Rikki was raised under the korowai of his grandparents in a little place called Te Hauke. He grew up gardening and farming under the watchful eye of his grandfather Rutene (Charlie) Solomon. He learned the practical application of He Maramatanga Māori, or insight through the Māori calendar. Rikki notes, “The maramataka was a way of life for our tūpuna. It helped govern activities and actions that allowed them to stand firm within their environment as kaitiaki of ‘te taiao’ (the environment).”

We invite you to join us for this, the longest night of the year. Help us mark the winter solstice, Te Ihu o Hinetakurua, and enjoy this opportunity to consider our collective relationship with te taiao in times of rapid change.

This submission is based on the Deep South Challenge: Changing with our Climate experience of funding and delivering expert climate modelling and adaptation research and science. It has been compiled by the Challenge Leadership Team and Engagement Team.

In general, our submission follows the structure of the NAP itself, with a few key differences. Rather than honing in on a single focus area, we respond to each of the three NAP focus areas, including each outcome area. However, as a matter of priority, we also respond to key documents and issues the NAP does not cover sufficiently. These are: Te Tiriti o Waitangi; the Rauora Framework; and the criticality of consultation and engagement. We also respond to the Research Strategy much earlier in our submission than where it appears in the NAP. We believe the Research Strategy is a vital piece of the adaptation puzzle, and deserves far more visibility. We include, separately, reflections that relate specifically to Vision Mātauranga – reflections gathered through research and engagement. In most parts of our submission, we reference relevant Deep South Challenge research. In summary, the entirety of this submission is based on both our research and our engagement experience of the past eight years.

Climate change is no longer a phase we are entering but one we are firmly within. There is compelling evidence of changing climate conditions. Every day there is news of another deluge or stop bank breach. Subtler indications – like the early Pōhutukawa bloom – demonstrate our transition from a more predictable past to a more uncertain future. The pace of securing a united universal response to climate change has been widely criticised with calls to action now adopting a much more urgent tone. Aotearoa is at a crucial point in time where we as a small island nation must decide how bold, how urgent and how transformative we are going to be to address our changing climate today and how to plan and adapt for a more resilient future.

To this end, The Deep South Challenge amplifies the messages clearly stated in the Rauora Framework, 2021, which we have read alongside the Government’s first draft National Adaptation Plan (NAP). This is a significant step in preparing Aotearoa for ongoing climate change and The Deep South Challenge (DSC) welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission on the draft NAP.

We recognise the significant value in having a national adaptation plan that acknowledges and supports the rich and extensive knowledges held within our communities – including tangata whenua, the research community and industry. To create meaningful, relevant and enduring solutions to the climate crisis, the NAP can take a multi-layered approach, acknowledging the impacts of climate change across our social, cultural, environmental and economic fabric, while balancing the need for efficiency and immediacy in the Government’s response.

This submission canvasses the various chapters of the NAP and responds with key messages in relation to each chapter. Under each outcome area, we have also included a Vision Mātauranga section which specifically highlights the unique submission points regarding Māori. In particular, we were looking for evidence that the NAP has drawn from or is underpinned by The Rauora Framework.

Key Submission Points

Our key submission points, below, are elaborated on in this submission document:

• Embedding Te Tiriti as an outcome area would strengthen the overarching framework of the NAP. Rangatiratanga and Kāwanatanga spheres are not evident in the NAP, and the proposed Māori foundation is a “supporting action” towards an objective rather than an objective in its own right. This falls well short of genuine partnership. Along with a reworking of the Vision, Purpose and Goals to reflect the Crown’s Te Tiriti obligations and a stronger commitment to equity – this would provide a strong foundation for the NAP and a consistent reference for how partnership opportunities are framed through the various outcome areas.
• The NAP should show clearly how it has “drawn on” the Rauora Framework. There is a lack of consistency in the language between the two documents. The authority of the Rauora in relation to the NAP must be clarified and strengthened to avoid it being relegated beneath the NAP. As it stands, the relationship between the Rauora and the NAP is vague and lacking substance. The Rauora is a powerful document but under-utilised by the NAP. Failure to genuinely incorporate the recommendations of the Rauora risks the appearance that its commissioning was merely a ‘tick box’ consultation exercise.
• The Research Strategy should be more foundational in the NAP. The Strategy itself requires more safeguards for research that is outside the boundary of “traditional” biophysical science. In the research strategy section of this submission we have included a number of research actions that we believe should inform the NAP, these actions include development of funding, identification of priorities to close climate adaptation knowledge gaps and investment in research that is Māori-led, with a focus on mātauranga and tikanga, community relevant and engaged research and research that also considers the socio-political and economic impacts and opportunities in climate change.
• The provision of and access to climate change data for communities must be prioritised. Alongside this, the need for targeted and appropriate engagement to share information with communities is important to create meaningful change.
• The system-wide actions should be integrated into the front-end of the framework as they respond to the three key focus areas of the NAP. This would give the system-wide actions relevance across all outcome areas.
• There should be greater alignment of the actions against the objectives (perhaps via visual representation). The current layout makes it difficult to connect the actions with the relevant objective(s). Adding context as to how each action works to achieve the relevant objective would also be helpful.
• The NAP should make it clear how adaptation will be embedded and integrated across policy areas in practice. In particular, adaptation-relevant policy and legislation must be developed as a suite, rather than in silos.
• Creating clear adaptation goals that are shared across key areas is important for clarity and shared understanding.
• The NAP must provide much clearer guidance to He Pou a Rangi – the Climate Change Commission on how to measure Government’s performance against and implementation of the NAP. He Pou a Rangi – the Climate Change Commission must also have the ability to carry out such monitoring.
• A broader range of primary sector businesses should be supported in the NAP to consider effective adaptation

Read the full submission here: