WEBINAR: Reducing Future Extreme Weather Impacts in Aotearoa New Zealand

Charlotte Brown

Joint Managing Director, Resilient Organisations

Charlotte Brown is joint Managing Director of Resilient Organisations Ltd. As a social scientist with a civil engineering background, Charlotte often works at the interface between physical and social sciences. Charlotte’s areas of specialty include risk management, systems thinking, decision-making and organisational resilience. Charlotte also has particular strengths in the practical application and communication of research.

Jochen Schmidt

Chief Scientist - Environmental Information, NIWA

Jochen has a background in hydrology, geomorphology, soil science, geo-informatics, and hazards and risk assessment. He worked for Landcare Research between 2001 and 2003 and was instrumental in developing the New Zealand Digital Soil Map (‘SMAP’). He joined NIWA in 2003 and coordinates systems for collecting, managing and delivering environmental information – ensuring they are robust and meet best-practice standards.

Kerry Leith

Engineering Geologist, GNS Science | Te Pῡ Ao

Kerry is an engineering geologist with eleven years’ research experience in New Zealand, Switzerland, and Germany. Kerry has also worked as an engineering geologist in both New Zealand, and Scotland. He specialises in soil and rock mechanics, landscape evolution, and natural hazard assessments. Kerry has been co-leading the Cyclone Gabrielle Landslide Response and Recovery project alongside Chris Massey at GNS Science.

Nick Horspool

Risk Specialist, GNS Science | Te Pῡ Ao

Nick is a Senior Natural Hazard Risk Scientist with GNS Science, a Crown Research Institute in New Zealand. He researches the impacts of natural hazards on communities and use this knowledge to develop natural hazard risk models for a range of applications, from disaster management planning to the (re)insurance industry, with a particular focus on earthquake and tsunami perils.

Leigh Tait

Marine Ecologist, NIWA

Leigh Tait is a marine ecologist specialising in the application of remote sampling techniques that enable a broadscale understanding of marine ecosystems. To overcome bottlenecks in ecological information Leigh has been developing multi-scaled remote-sensing techniques that include underwater remote operated vehicles (ROVs), aerial drones and earth-oriented satellites. He has developed techniques and protocols for detecting key habitat-forming seaweeds using enhanced spectral imaging from aerial drones and satellites. These techniques are currently being used by the Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries, and multiple regional councils to monitor remote and challenging coastal and estuarine areas.

Warwick Allen

Researcher, Plant Community Ecology, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research

Warwick Allen (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research) is a community ecologist based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. His research interests are wide-ranging but grounded in a desire to understand and mitigate the impacts of global change on indigenous ecosystems and species.

Murray Ford

Associate Professor - Environment, University of Auckland

Murray is a coastal geomorphologist working in a range of coastal settings. At present, I am primarily working on reef island systems in the Pacific. I employ both field and remote sensing approaches to better understand reef island geomorphology in order to be understand the evolution and dynamics of these landforms.

Justin Stout

Geospatial Research Scientist, Waterways Centre at University of Canterbury

Justin Stout is a Geospatial Research Scientist at the University of Canterbury. His research has focused on the processes responsible for the routing of water and sediments through the landscape from source to sink. Justin employs a combination of quantitative field geomorphology, mathematical modelling, and landscape morphometric analyse to quantify the spatial and temporal variations in sediment erosion and deposition. His past work has focused on how the presence/absent of vegetation alters these sediment dynamics, impacts of sedimentation to the Great Barrier Reef, and the role of wildfire in reservoir sedimentation. Currently his work focuses on the collection of repeat high-resolution lidar data of rivers and estuaries, using a combination of infrared and green lidar, to provide data that is used to understand how these sensitive systems change from individual events and anthropogenic impacts.

Belinda Storey

Managing Director, Climate Sigma

Belinda Storey is Managing Director of Climate Sigma which conducts research on the impact of escalating climate hazards on infrastructure, real estate, banking and insurance. Belinda is a board director of Asure Quality Kaitiaki Kai and has recently been appointed to the Ministry for Environment’s Independent Reference Group on Adaptation. Previously Belinda served on MfE’s Managed Retreat Expert Working Group and on the External Reporting Board (XRB)’s External Advisory Panel on Climate-Related Disclosures.

Sarah-Jane Paine

Associate Professor, Waipapa Taumata Rau - The University of Auckland

Sarah-Jane (Tuhoe) is an Associate Professor in Māori Health at Te Kupenga Hauora Maori and the Research Director for Growing Up in New Zealand - the largest contemporary longitudinal study of child and youth wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Sarah-Jane is an experienced Kaupapa Māori epidemiologist with a range of projects investigating ethnic inequities in health and the determinants of health across the life-course.

Tom Wilson

Chief Science Advisor, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)

Tom is the Chief Science Advisor for the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency/Te Rākau Whakamarumaru (NEMA). He is also a Professor of Disaster Risk and Resilience at the University of Canterbury/Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha. In the Chief Science Advisor role at NEMA, Tom is focused on supporting the effective use of science within emergency management policy and practice. This includes considering how to more effectively reduce disaster risk and support better disaster recoveries in the long term, as well as how to prepare for and respond to future disasters. Tom’s role also includes supporting partnerships with science organisations and helping to better connect research with policy.

Richard Smith

Director, Resilience to Nature's Challenges, GNS Science | Te Pῡ Ao

Richard has a hybrid background in research facilitation, disaster risk reduction policy and practice, and natural hazards research. Most recently he was Research Strategy and Investment Manager with the New Zealand Earthquake Commission (EQC), with responsibilities for EQC's National Research Capability and Science-to-Practice programmes. Before joining EQC, Richard held various roles in the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM), supporting policy and capability development and provision of science advice. Richard has a PhD in Geological Sciences from the University of Canterbury, and prior to taking up a position with MCDEM was a Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the University of Waikato.