Environment research

We have twelve major research areas covering a diverse range of research interests. Browse the links below for more information.

Group of people by volcano

Our research covers the breadth of hazards and disasters, from their physical processes to the ability of people and communities to respond.

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Heavy waves crashing on rocks from above

Ocean covers over 95% of the New Zealand territory, making it an ideal place to research issues of marine geoscience.

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Student measuring a small tree

Forest ecosystems face a wide range of threats. We seek to understand issues such as deforestation, pathogens and climate change.

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Woman in the crowd at Pasifika festival

We explore the many environmental, social, cultural and political challenges confronting Pacific nations.

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School strike for climate change Wellington.

Our research has an ethical and methodological approach to activist and community-based inquiry, advocacy and representation.

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Students walking through campus

Movement is central to human existence. We study the changing nature of population dynamics and mobility and their impact on wellbeing.

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Student looking through a microscope in the lab

We research the Pacific’s diverse tectonic settings and natural resources, with projects that span the fundamental and applied Earth sciences.

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Auckland city from above

Our research addresses the biophysical systems that operate in urban areas and the role that humans play in driving these processes.

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Students walking on campus

We consider the many lived experiences of social spaces, inequality and social difference and the potential for progressive change in the worlds we inhabit.

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Researchers looking at volcanic stratigraphy in Afar, Ethiopia

New Zealand’s volcanic environment makes it an ideal natural laboratory for research into magmatic systems.

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Robin Kearns, Head of the School of Environment

Discover the research of our academics in the area of Environment.

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Engineering geology student and instructor

Search for masters and doctoral supervisors and research projects that you can join.

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