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Rangahau Issue 4, 2022

This issue of Rangahau profiles more than 30 academics and their teams who are progressing research that advances one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a matrix of 17 interlinked global objectives.

He kupu whakataki

Foreword

Issue 4 articles

Discovering & protecting our public art

Dr Bronwyn Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott from Toi Rauwhārangi College of Creative Arts have developed a research initiative, Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, to register twentieth-century public artworks around the country.

Dr Bronwyn Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott Dr Bronwyn Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott Dr Bronwyn Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott Dr Bronwyn Holloway-Smith and Sue Elliott

Empowering communities to face climate change

Professor Bruce Glavovic from the School of People, Environment and Planning believes scientists must continue working with local communities and mobilise global action in the closing window of opportunity to avert dangerous climate change.

Professor Bruce Galvovic Professor Bruce Galvovic Professor Bruce Galvovic Professor Bruce Galvovic

Making work healthy & decent

Associate Professor David Tappin, Dr Natalia D’Souza and Dr Zoe Port from the School of Management are working to reduce psychosocial risk and improve conditions for health and wellbeing in small and medium businesses in New Zealand.

Photo of Associate Professor David Tappin, Dr Natalia D'Souza and Dr Zoe Port Photo of Associate Professor David Tappin, Dr Natalia D'Souza and Dr Zoe Port Photo of Associate Professor David Tappin, Dr Natalia D'Souza and Dr Zoe Port Photo of Associate Professor David Tappin, Dr Natalia D'Souza and Dr Zoe Port

Using art & science to help with dementia

Emma Febvre-Richards' partnership project MinDArT explores the idea that in dementia, fine-motor capabilities are retained longer than verbal abilities and that drawing gives an opportunity to express in a medium that isn’t oral.

Emma Febvre-Richards Emma Febvre-Richards Emma Febvre-Richards Emma Febvre-Richards

Amplify Aotearoa

Dr Catherine Hoad and Associate Professor Oli Wilson from the School of Music and Screen Arts are making the New Zealand music industry a safer and more inclusive space with their research and work with SoundCheck Aotearoa.

Dr Catherine Hoad and Associate Professor Oli Wilson Dr Catherine Hoad and Associate Professor Oli Wilson Dr Catherine Hoad and Associate Professor Oli Wilson Dr Catherine Hoad and Associate Professor Oli Wilson

Using microorganisms to improve sustainability

Professor Yusuf Chisti from Te Kura Rangahau Kai School of Food and Advanced Technology uses microorganisms to produce foods and nutrients, improve the sustainability of aquaculture and agriculture and generate renewable energy.

Professor Yusuf Chisti Professor Yusuf Chisti Professor Yusuf Chisti Professor Yusuf Chisti

Working towards ending plastic pollution

Associate Professor Trisia Farrelly from the School of People, Environment and Planning is researching plastic pollution from an anthropological perspective to develop an international, legally binding treaty.

Associate Professor Trisia Farrelly Associate Professor Trisia Farrelly Associate Professor Trisia Farrelly Associate Professor Trisia Farrelly

Tackling marginalisation through community voice

Professor Mohan Dutta researches on the basis that a way to tackle marginalisation is to connect people. His work explores how to build spaces that bring in people from places of disenfranchisement who have not had their voices heard.

Professor Mohan Dutta Professor Mohan Dutta Professor Mohan Dutta Professor Mohan Dutta

Human impacts on marine mammal biology

Professor Karen Stockin from the School of Natural Sciences is investigating environmental contaminants in killer whales, common dolphins and other species and what that means for marine mammal health and conservation.

Professor Karen Stockin Professor Karen Stockin Professor Karen Stockin Professor Karen Stockin

Improving pharmaceutical fridges

Associate Professor Rodney Adank from Ngā Pae Māhutonga School of Design and his team are researching ways to improve pharmaceutical fridges, a vital part of the cold chain used by pharmacies, hospitals, doctors’ offices and laboratories.

Professor Adank and his research team Professor Adank and his research team Professor Adank and his research team Professor Adank and his research team

The effect of climate disasters on financial markets

Professor Ben Marshall from the School of Economics and Finance is researching three key areas that further explain the impacts of climate events on financial markets.

Professor Ben Marshall Professor Ben Marshall Professor Ben Marshall Professor Ben Marshall

Life cycle assessment

Professor Sarah McLaren from Te Kura Mātauranga mō Ahuwhenua me Te Taiao School of Agriculture and Environment uses life cycle assessment to compare products for their environmental impacts or to compare alternative processes or policies.

Professor Sarah McLaren Professor Sarah McLaren Professor Sarah McLaren Professor Sarah McLaren

Alcohol use during Covid-19 restrictions

Dr Taisia Huckle from the SHORE & Whariki Research Centre is leading a global project on the effects of the different government policies on alcohol use in 14 countries.

Dr Taisia Huckle Dr Taisia Huckle Dr Taisia Huckle Dr Taisia Huckle

Improving the health of our waterways

Professor Russell Death from the School of Natural Sciences is developing machine learning tools to help councils model their waterway health and the potential effect of interventions like riparian planting.

Professor Russell Death Professor Russell Death Professor Russell Death Professor Russell Death

Mana Moana

Associate Professor Rachael Rakena and Mike Bridgman from Whiti o Rehua School of Art are working on collaborative projects with Maori and Pasifika creatives and communities to tell stories through Mana Moana.

Mike Bridgman and Associate Professor Rachael Rakena Mike Bridgman and Associate Professor Rachael Rakena Mike Bridgman and Associate Professor Rachael Rakena Mike Bridgman and Associate Professor Rachael Rakena

Productive farming with reduced nutrient loss

Associate Professor Ranvir Singh and Professor David Horne from the School of Agriculture and Environment are researching how to increase nitrate attenuation in the flow pathways between farm systems and receiving water bodies.

Associate Professor David Horne and Associate Professor Ranvir Singh Associate Professor David Horne and Associate Professor Ranvir Singh Associate Professor David Horne and Associate Professor Ranvir Singh Associate Professor David Horne and Associate Professor Ranvir Singh

Restoration of te taiao by the Ōhau River

Professor Huhana Smith, Head of Whiti o Rehua School of Art, has spent many years restoring the Ōhau River loop. As part of a core kaitiaki group, the Ōhau River loop and the back dune wetland now lie within a revitalised coastal forest.

Professor Huhana Smith Professor Huhana Smith Professor Huhana Smith Professor Huhana Smith

Understanding leptospirosis

Professor Jackie Benschop from the School of Veterinary Science's research on leptospirosis primarily focuses on the biomedical aspects of leptospirosis and emphasises the importance of paying attention to the social burden of the disease.

Jackie Benschop and team Jackie Benschop and team Jackie Benschop and team Jackie Benschop and team

Equity at work

Professor Jane Parker and her team recently completed a project looking at equity in the public service to see where there are equity gaps within particular groups of people, what to do in response, and what equity means.

Professor Jane Parker Professor Jane Parker Professor Jane Parker Professor Jane Parker

Pasifika ways of knowing in teaching mathematics

Associate Professor Jodie Hunter and Professor Roberta Hunter work with teachers to recognise the mathematical experiences of Pasifika children outside of school and develop mathematical problems which connect to these experiences.

Professor Roberta Hunter and Associate Professor Jodie Hunter Professor Roberta Hunter and Associate Professor Jodie Hunter Professor Roberta Hunter and Associate Professor Jodie Hunter Professor Roberta Hunter and Associate Professor Jodie Hunter

Reducing waste in the construction industry

Dr Niluka Domingo from the School of Built Environment is developing an online tool for designers and contractors to calculate the dimensions of a design to predict the amount of waste in a building project.

Dr Niluka Domingo Dr Niluka Domingo Dr Niluka Domingo Dr Niluka Domingo

The origins of infectious diseases

Professor David Hayman takes a holistic view of the drivers and steps involved in the appearance of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases can show how interconnected humans are with the rest of the planet.

Professor David Hayman Professor David Hayman Professor David Hayman Professor David Hayman

Covid-19 and Pacific tourism

Professor Regina Scheyvens and Dr Apisalome Movono are long-term researchers of sustainable tourism in the Pacific. Believing in the strength of the Pacific cultural system, they explore how communities were coping during the pandemic.

Dr Apisalome Movono and Professor Regina Scheyvens Dr Apisalome Movono and Professor Regina Scheyvens Dr Apisalome Movono and Professor Regina Scheyvens Dr Apisalome Movono and Professor Regina Scheyvens

UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Livelihoods

As Chair of UNESCO's Sustainable Livelihoods, Professor Stuart Carr will focus on making work more sustainable and fair – allowing workers to live with dignity, participate in society and engage with the political system.

From left: Dr Jony Yulianto, Michael Esop and Dr Minh Hieu Nguyen, Professor James H. Liu and Professor Stuart C. Carr, Nuke Martiarini, Professor Darrin Hodgetts, Dr Veronica Hopner and Dr Pita King. From left: Dr Jony Yulianto, Michael Esop and Dr Minh Hieu Nguyen, Professor James H. Liu and Professor Stuart C. Carr, Nuke Martiarini, Professor Darrin Hodgetts, Dr Veronica Hopner and Dr Pita King. From left: Dr Jony Yulianto, Michael Esop and Dr Minh Hieu Nguyen, Professor James H. Liu and Professor Stuart C. Carr, Nuke Martiarini, Professor Darrin Hodgetts, Dr Veronica Hopner and Dr Pita King. From left: Dr Jony Yulianto, Michael Esop and Dr Minh Hieu Nguyen, Professor James H. Liu and Professor Stuart C. Carr, Nuke Martiarini, Professor Darrin Hodgetts, Dr Veronica Hopner and Dr Pita King.

Increasing resilience & sustainability in the building industry

Professor Suzanne Wilkinson is interested in resilience in the building industry and how it can adapt to challenges – to understand the industry’s reliance on international supply chains and its disruption to the sector during the pandemic.

Professor Suzanne Wilkinson Professor Suzanne Wilkinson Professor Suzanne Wilkinson Professor Suzanne Wilkinson

Honouring excellence

The Massey Research Excellence Awards acknowledge and honour colleagues who have delivered high-quality outcomes across a broad range of disciplines and academic fields and whose work helps the university give back to the many communities it serves.