Biodiverse futures

Our innovative research helps restore, protect, and safeguard New Zealand’s unique biodiversity, and ecosystems that underpin our health and economies. Biodiversity is key to combating climate change, ensuring food security, and preserving natural resources for future generations.  New Zealand’s unique species and habitats, vital parts of our cultural heritage, are also important tourist attractions.

Our Role

Ngā Ara Whetū fosters collaboration across various fields of research, and drives breakthroughs in conservation strategies, ecosystem restoration, and climate resilience.  We are committed to partnering with iwi and communities. Our approach ensures research not only advances academic knowledge but also generates sustainable solutions tailored to local environmental challenges.

Team​

Jacqueline Beggs, Bruce Burns, Kristal Cain, Rochelle Constantine, Brendon Dunphy, Anne Gaskett, Andrew Jeffs, Richard O’Rorke, Mary Sewell, Margaret Stanley, Aimee van der Reis

Current projects / activities ​

MBIE 2020-2025 Te Mana o Rangitāhua led by Ngāti Kuri and Auckland Museum

Climate Change AI Innovation Grant 2025-2026: The DNA biodiversity drive

Our planet hosts complex webs of life—ecosystems that sustain and enrich our lives—providing food, shelter, clean water, and climate regulation.

Ngā Ara Whetū’s research studies how these systems function, interact, and thrive. Our goal is to explore the delicate balance that supports biodiversity, climate regulation, and the myriad benefits ecosystems provide to all living beings.

Our Role

We bring together transdisciplinary teams to address complex ecological challenges, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of ecosystems and their intricate interconnections. Importantly, we encourage collaboration between researchers, communities, and policymakers to create a future where ecosystems can thrive.

Team ​

Naresh Singhal, Anne Gaskett, Joel Rindelabu, Samantha Ladewig, George Laking, Maria Armoudian, Manuel Vallee, Cate Macinnis-Ng, Andrew Jeffs, Simon Thrush, Tim Welch, Gary Brierley, Thomas Dowling

Current projects / activities   

• Water Research Centre and projects:​
• Designing water infrastructure resilient to climate change​
• Antimicrobial resistance in water​
• Improving treatment efficiency and resource recovery​
• Developing tools to assess and manage threats to water resources​
• Shielding communities from flood, drought, and tsunami risks​
• MBIE Smart Ideas: Innovative gene-tech for early detection of climate-driven pathogens in New Zealand, project in development.
• Blue Economies​
• Microplastics, their sources, effects & solutions.