Two MSc Scholarships are available focused on creating resiliency of Te Arawa cultural keystone species and iwi/hapū communities under a changing climate.
Te Arawa Lakes Trust alongside NIWA and the University of Waikato are seeking applicants for the Whakahohetia Ngā Wai Kāinga focus study as part of the Toitū Ngā Taonga Waimāori research programme.
Whakahohetia Ngā Wai Kāinga is a focus study that aims to support Te Arawa’s place-based prioritisation and implementation of adaptation interventions that will support the resilience of taonga species and iwi/hapū communities under a changing climate.
MSc Scholarship 1: Modelling the Impacts of Climate Change on Mahinga Kai Habitats within Te Arawa Lakes
This MSc study will focus on simulating the effects of climate change on mahinga kai habitats within Te Arawa Lakes by utilising existing lake ecosystem models for Lake Rotorua (and potentially additional lakes). A prototype Mahinga Kai Habitat Suitability Index was previously developed to assess habitat suitability of kōura and kākahi. This study will refine and expand on the index using species-specific thresholds for temperature and oxygen from literature and the mātauranga of mana whenua. Additionally, the study will explore the feasibility of including other environmental factors, such as invasive macrophytes, that could further impact mahinga kai habitats.
MSc Scholarship 2: Climate Change Impacts on Heavy Metal Mobilisation in Lake Sediments
This MSc study will focus on how climate change-driven shifts in lake thermal structure and oxygen dynamics influence the mobilisation of heavy metals from lake sediments. The study will focus on two contrasting lakes—Lake Rotorua and Lake Ōkaro—which differ in their mixing regime and sediment composition.
Please follow the links above to make an application or contact nicole.h@tearawa.iwi.nz if you have any questions.