Jennifer Howe, Digital Content Manager
Last month, Morphum Environmental Director Caleb Clarke had the pleasure of attending the New Zealand Coastal Society’s annual conference, which was this year held at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
The conference ran over three days, and had a strong community and collaboration focus. The theme, “He waka eke noa - Linking science, engineering, management and community”, reflects some of the core values held by Morphum Environmental’s leadership and wider team. From the society’s website:
“He waka eke noa, a Maori proverb, loosely translated means: ‘A canoe in which we are all in with no exception’ or ‘We are all in this boat together’.”
Among the speakers at the event, there was a strong focus on two core categories: “Estuaries and harbours and their management” and “Coastal hazards and risk”. In addition, the conference featured keynote presentations from MP Clare Curran, CEO Geoff Plunket of Port Otago and Associate Professor Mike Hilton of the University of Otago’s Department of Geography.
Morphum Environmental has a strong professional interest in New Zealand’s coasts, having carried out coastal assessments as well as a number of community and education initiatives around coastal ecology and management every year. Recently, Morphum Environmental has been engaged by the Waitākere Ranges Local Board to deliver a coastal and marine report which will cover the existing state of the local marine and coastal environments. The New Zealand Coastal Society conference is an event which we look forward to every year.