Awanuiārangi partners in $32.25m coastal research project

Awanuiārangi partners in $32.25m coastal research project

Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi is a partner in a major research collaboration to strengthen coastal communities in the Pacific as they face climate change.

Based at the University of Otago, the project establishes a Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) funded by the Tertiary Education Commission for eight years. Announced at the end of last year, this is the latest CoRE funding round and is led by co-directors Associate Professors Chris Hepburn and Anne-Marie Jackson, of Otago University.

The Coastal People: Southern Skies project has been given $32.25 million of funding to rebuild coastal ecosystems. The research centre collaboration aims to connect communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to support transformative change and benefit local and global knowledge.

Awanuiārangi senior lecturer and researcher Dr Naomi Simmonds was a member of the core proposal team that developed and drove the bid through the highly contestable process. She will also be a Theme Leader for the research centre.

The research will include responding to the decline in culture, local economy, and the wellbeing of coastal people in New Zealand and across the Pacific.

Partners include the Universities of Otago, Auckland, Waikato and Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, Auckland University of Technology, education programmes, government and community partners.

Partnering in the national research centre as the only wānanga was an important opportunity for Awanuiārangi to share its distinctiveness as a whare wānanga and a tribal-based coastal institution, Dr Simmonds said.

“Exciting things will come out of this for our students, staff and research faculty. One of the big drivers for Coastal People: Southern Skies is to build capability over the eight years. There will be funding for Masters, PhD and post-doctoral tauira (students), and exciting opportunities to engage in groundbreaking research across the country.”

Dr Simmonds is a theme leader for the Connecting theme, focusing on the relationship of coastal people to the moana (sea) and what communities need to engage with climate adaptation and resilience.

“We are providing opportunities in research and science that are fundamental to supporting Māori communities already working in these areas, and we look forward to working with Otago University, communities and other research partners to make transformations for the betterment of our coastal spaces and peoples.

“This is a significant development that positions Awanuiārangi extremely well for future research opportunities.”