Sustainability stories

Doctoral candidate Nona Taute is researching the connection between Māori communities and geothermal resources to find out how engineers, scientists and decision makers can effectively integrate Māori values into geothermal engineering.

“The University’s sustainability goals, in terms of energy, align closely with Aotearoa’s sustainability goals,” says Nona. “There’s a lot of research coming out of the University that works towards that. That’s what makes me so passionate about this. I’m helping people that I love, especially with Aotearoa’s growing ambition of energy sustainability.”

Gemma Aburn’s research explores staff experiences of working in children’s blood and cancer centres in New Zealand. The particular focus of her research is how staff - from nurses and doctors, to administration staff and cleaners - are able to maintain resilience in their work and sustain working in such a difficult area.

“One of the things that I think helps staff maintain their resilience is being socially connected, having a sense of belonging and being part of a work family, says Gemma.”

Molly D'Ath is a Master of Environmental Science student whose research looks at the spatial variability of soil characteristics across a restoration planting in Glorit, a rural community in the North Island. As more restoration plantings occur, her work looks into the importance of what's actually going on below ground.

“I grew up on a farm in Hawke’s Bay, so I’ve always been quite close to the natural world,” says Molly. “We’re an island nation, so we have quite unique biodiversity. For me personally, I want to do something that contributes to protecting that.”