Murihiku Regeneration
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Research and Monitoring

Murihiku Regeneration is working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) to carry out research and monitoring in the Ross Sea Sector from Murihiku to Antarctica.

Our research supports the objectives of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the wider context of how this region is linked to Murihiku/Te Waipounamu.

This programme represents the first indigenous-led Antarctic Research Programme in the world.

A partnership for conservation and knowledge

The Southern Ocean - Murihiku ki te Tonga team includes Ngāi Tahu, DOC staff, technical experts, and researchers. Dr Regina Eisert.Dr Regina Eisert.

Team Leader is Murihiku Regeneration’s Senior Science Programme Advisor Dr Regina Eisert, who is a member of both national committees, the Antarctic Working Group convened by the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Royal Society Te Apārangi National Committee on Antarctic Sciences.

Research context

Marine predators such as seabirds, seals, and whales integrate changes in marine productivity due to both natural cycles and the long-term shifts in baselines resulting from climate change.

Historic records such as the tītī harvest kept by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku provide a priceless archive of climate information and closely track El Niño-Southern Ocean (ENSO) events.

Find out more: Changes in sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus chick production and harvest precede ENSO events.

First research expedition - February 2023

Leaving from Bluff in February 2023, our team will travel due south to the Subantarctic Islands and on to the Ross Sea region of Antarctica on the Heritage Adventurer.

We will deploy the advanced remote sensing technology to study whales, seals, and seabirds as key tohu (ecological indicators).

Building on mātauranga Māori, we will develop comprehensive and accurate indices for the state of a marine ecosystem increasingly impacted by fishing, climate change, and human activities. Our approach will address existing critical information gaps and provide the information needed for the effective conservation and management of the region.

Kākahi (Orcinus orca) are the largest member of the dolphin family and the ocean’s true top predator.Kākahi (Orcinus orca) are the largest member of the dolphin family and the ocean’s true top predator.

In this section

  • Our Mahi
    • Southern Ocean - Murihiku ki te Tonga
      • Subantarctic Islands
      • The Ross Sea Sector
      • Research and Monitoring
    • Green Energy
      • Clean Energy Workstream
        • Working Group - Meet the Team
        • Renewable Energy Strategy
        • Documents - Key Reading
        • Have your say
      • Hydrogen and Green Energy
      • Hydrogen and Climate Change
      • Bell Bay Hydrogen Cluster
      • Lake Onslow Hydro Scheme
    • Tiwai Future
      • Preliminary Closure Study
      • Cultural Significance of Tiwai Point
      • Environmental significance of Tiwai Point and surrounds
      • Tiwai Point - a contaminated site
      • Key documents and further reading
      • Have your say
    • Te Ao Tūroa - Environment
      • Hokonui Rūnanga Kaupapa Taiao
      • Te Tapu o Tāne Ltd
      • Climate change
      • Have your say
    • Te Ara Aukati Kore - Education, Training, and Capability
      • LEARNZ Hokonui Restoration: Tech in Te Taiao
      • LEARNZ Hokonui restoration field trip videos
      • Worker Transitions Workstream
      • Have your say!
    • Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities
    • Regional System Leadership
    • Just Transition
      • Have your say!

Latest news

Productive day for Tiwai Advisory Group

On Thursday 15 December 2022, the Tiwai Advisory Group met for the first time kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face). Made up of representatives from Awarua Rūnaka (including Terry Nicholas, Murihiku Regeneration Portfolio Director) and the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter (NZAS), the group had a… Read more

© 2023 Murihiku Regeneration • Website by RS

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the team
    • Structure and Context
    • Office of Upoko
    • Te Rūnaka o Awarua
    • Waihōpai Rūnaka Inc.
    • Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka
    • Hokonui Rūnanga
    • Our Partners
      • MSD Community Connection Service
    • Job vacancies
  • Events
    • Science and Innovation Wānanga
      • Hon Dr Megan Woods
      • Tā Tipene O’Regan (Upoko)
      • Dr Michael Stevens
      • Terry Nicholas
      • Ivan Hodgetts
      • Riki Parata
      • Jana Davis
      • Dr Andrew Forrest AO (Fortescue Group)
      • Professor Sally Brooker (University of Otago)
      • Guy Waipara and James Flannery
      • Professor Frank Griffin and Milton Munro
      • Aditi Cook (Ministry of Education)
      • Rangatahi Tumeke Group
      • RPS Group
      • Mike Shatford
  • Our Mahi
    • Southern Ocean - Murihiku ki te Tonga
      • Subantarctic Islands
      • The Ross Sea Sector
      • Research and Monitoring
    • Green Energy
      • Clean Energy Workstream
        • Working Group - Meet the Team
        • Renewable Energy Strategy
        • Documents - Key Reading
        • Have your say
      • Hydrogen and Green Energy
      • Hydrogen and Climate Change
      • Bell Bay Hydrogen Cluster
      • Lake Onslow Hydro Scheme
    • Tiwai Future
      • Preliminary Closure Study
      • Cultural Significance of Tiwai Point
      • Environmental significance of Tiwai Point and surrounds
      • Tiwai Point - a contaminated site
      • Key documents and further reading
      • Have your say
    • Te Ao Tūroa - Environment
      • Hokonui Rūnanga Kaupapa Taiao
      • Te Tapu o Tāne Ltd
      • Climate change
      • Have your say
    • Te Ara Aukati Kore - Education, Training, and Capability
      • LEARNZ Hokonui Restoration: Tech in Te Taiao
      • LEARNZ Hokonui restoration field trip videos
      • Worker Transitions Workstream
      • Have your say!
    • Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities
    • Regional System Leadership
    • Just Transition
      • Have your say!
  • Latest News
  • Contact