Research - Our Mahi

• Aquaculture
  • Macroalgal cultivation and bioproducts
  • Macroalgal Bioremediation
  • Toheroa
  • Fish (Recent projects have included King Salmon, Flounder, and Butterfish)
    • Reproductive biology
    • Genetics
• Mātauranga Maori
  • Biodegradable mussel spat settlement lines - taura kuku
  • Shellfish restoration
  • Predatory sea star management
  • Pepi koura - restoring crayfish
  • Tuangi, tohu - Cockles
  • Climate change
  • Estuarine restoration
• Marine ecology
• Marine innovation
• Marine biodiscovery | Bioprospecting
• Biosecurity | Bioinvasions
• Human impacts on marine ecosystems (our urbanised coasts)
  • Impact assessments
  • Resilience
  • Climate change
  • Eco-system recovery
  • Toxicology
  • Microplastics
• Carbon sequestration
• Anthropogenic noise impacts in marine environments
• Fisheries management
• Environmental history
• Hydrodynamics
• Coastal and shelf science
• Estuarine ecology
• Conservation biology
• Antarctic research

The University of Waikato is one of the premier universities in New Zealand for multidisciplinary aquatic science and is leading the way in aquaculture specific education and research. It is also the only university in the southern hemisphere to have a working tertiary partnership dedicated to enhancing tertiary education offerings in the Bay of Plenty.

The Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership, comprising Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology and The University of Waikato, work collaboratively in the area of marine science. Historically, as part of this collaboration, Professor Battershill led the Te Mauri Moana tertiary research group, responsible for initial monitoring of the long-term impacts of the Rena grounding. A partnership whose foundation will amplify response should it be required again.

The Coastal Marine Field Station also works closely with iwi, local government, and regional development agencies, and is part of the University’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI) which conducts environmental research into environmental systems, cycling and climate change; biodiversity, restoration and conservation; and environmental technologies and techniques

NEXUS is a collaboration with local industry development teams and University of Waikato Engineering, Health and Computing departments. This project encourages the alliance and collaboration in education, training, and research with a multidisciplinary solutions based approach. The initial focus of NEXUS is in the marine space, however, the essence of NEXUS spans across not only disciplines but also the landscapes from land to sea.

• Caine Taiapa
• Waiari Rameka
• Kelly Ratana