With funding from the Tertiary Education Commission of New Zealand, the National Centre of Research Excellence Coastal People: Southern Skies (CPSS) has awarded about $300,000 each to 26 new projects in its latest funding round.
CPSS research committee co-chairwoman Dr Naomi Simmonds said the organisation was extending its reach into the Pacific, with new projects led by Pasifika researchers bringing deep ancestral knowledge of the coast and connections across oceans to the fore.
‘‘We are really excited to support this phase of our research programme and look forward to seeing all the wonderful outcomes that we know these projects will deliver.’’
She said many of the projects were led by Māori researchers who have strong roots in their coastal communities, reflecting CPSS’ belief that meaningful research and science grows from the ground up.
The research spans everything from understanding the effects of mātaitai marine protection on coastal ecosystems, to adapting to the realities of climate change, and restoring the practices, relationships, and places that coastal communities hold dear.
University of Otago biochemist Dr Nathan Kenny will lead a project which aims to restore kopakopa (ribbed mussels) to coastal areas in Tōtaranui/Queen Charlotte Sound, where they have largely disappeared.
The project will help revive an important taonga species and safeguard the cultural and ecological connections this species holds.
University of Otago chemistry researcher Dr Christina McGraw received a grant to build capacity for ocean acidification research in the Pacific, and study its biological impacts on the marine ecosystem.
University of Otago marine scientist Dr Louise Bennett-Jones received a grant to establish long-term monitoring sites which will collect baseline ecological information in selected Mātaitai reserves along the South Island’s West Coast.
The information will form the foundation for understanding if and how marine communities change over time, helping to identify any impacts of newly implemented bylaws, and inform future management actions and restoration strategies.
Another research project, lead by Tūhura Otago Museum Māori archaeologist Dr Gerard O’Regan, will study waka hull remnants in southern New Zealand to gather information about southern waka technologies that have been lost.
They offer a rich opportunity to enhance understanding of ancestral technologies, lifeways and traditions, and inform cultural revitalisation in constructing and sailing southern waka.
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou also received funding for a project aimed at furthering knowledge and expertise on its coastline area, allowing the rūnanga to be better caretakers of the marine environment into the future.
The research will be led and designed by Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou, using empirically trained scientists, and Mātauraka Kāi Tahu will provide the research framework, questions, and interpretive lens.
