Regional Manager - Auckland
Jonathan has an MSc in Hydrology for Environmental Management from Imperial College, University of London. He moved to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1996, joining Auckland Regional Council’s water allocation team. After joining NIWA in 2005, Jonathan diversified into water quality science, leading applied research and consultancy studies on the impacts of urban development and ways to better manage these effects in the future.
Regional Manager - Christchurch
Phil is a freshwater fisheries scientist with a PhD from the University of Canterbury. He first worked with NIWA in 2005–2007 and has been back as a scientist since 2012 specialising in freshwater resource management and conducting research on freshwater fisheries and food webs. He leads the freshwater fisheries research within the Sustainable Water Allocation Programme. Prior to becoming Assistant Regional Manager in 2018 he was the Freshwater Ecology Group Manager in Christchurch.
Research programmes: Sustainable Water Allocation Programme (https://www.niwa.co.nz/freshwater-and-estuaries/programme-overview/susta...) Freshwater Biosecurity (https://www.niwa.co.nz/freshwater-and-estuaries/programme-overview/fresh...)
Regional Manager - Hamilton
Michael received his PhD from the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University in Scotland working on Atlantic halibut and the European sea bass and seabream. His specialist areas cover broodstock to commercial on-growing, more recently with success on kingfish production process development and commercialisation. Michael's current role as regional manager encompasses a wide range of NIWA's activities operations and science delivery.
National Manager - Environmental Information Operations
Charles is a hydrologist with an MSc (Hons) from the National University of Ireland. He specialises in the analysis of hydrological and other geophysical and climate data for purposes such as estimating flood risks. He is a member of NZ's Hydrological and Meteorological Societies and is the World Meteorological Organization's Hydrological Adviser for New Zealand.
Senior Regional Manager - Wellington
Alison specialises in behavioural ecology, with broad interests in coastal reef ecology and management, marine ecosystem risk assessment, closed area management, and marine historical ecology. Her specialist area is in spiny lobster ecology. Alison joined the Operations Management Team in Wellington in 2015 but has an ongoing engagement in spiny lobster ecology and fisheries, and marine historical ecology.
Regional Manager - Wellington
Steve is a Marine Electronics Technician with an NZCE (Electronics and Computer Science) who has worked within the geotechnical and hydrographic community for the last 36 years. During this time Steve has been on over 120 scientific and commercial voyages as well as over 30 land-based nearshore and lake surveys. Prior to his appointment to Regional Manager, Steve was the Group Manager Marine Technology.
Regional Manager - Wellington
Judy is a molecular biologist specialising in phylogenetics and systematics, with a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Otago. She has worked extensively on the molecular systematics of New Zealand seaweeds (marine macroalgae) at the University of Otago and the University of Auckland. Since joining NIWA in 2015 she has continued to work on algae and has led the NIWA Molecular Biology team, working across several areas including biodiversity, biosecurity and fisheries. She was Group Manager, Environmental Isotopes and Molecular Biology before her appointment as Assistant Regional Manager in 2020.
National Projects Manager - Science Delivery
Helen trained as a coastal geomorphologist with a PhD from the University of Hull, UK. She has been in New Zealand for 25 years, and in that time has worked as a Teaching & Research Fellow at Lincoln University, as Environmental Information Manager at the West Coast Regional Council, and as a National Advisor for the Tertiary Education Commission. She has been at NIWA since 2007, first as a resource management scientist specialising in the boundary between science and policy, then from 2014-15 as National Projects Manager. She was Regional Manager of the Christchurch region from January 2016 to June 2021, and was also Regional Manager for Nelson between March 2017 and Feb 2020. She has been National Projects Manager - Science Delivery since July 2021.
Ngāti Koata, Tainui-a-whiro, Ngāti Porou
Maori Organisational Development Manager
Darcel works closely with the General Manager – Māori and Pacific Partnerships, the Pou Whakarae – Te Hiringa Taiao and NIWA’s Operations Management Team to implement NIWA’s bicultural organisational development strategy. She works to enhance existing processes, develop and lead new initiatives and provide strategic advice and support.
Darcel also leads the science communication and outreach programme for Te Kūwaha; NIWA’s Māori workforce development and cultural competency programme; and Te Piko o te Māhuri – NIWA's Māori Capability Development programme.
