University of Waikato PhD student Kiri Reihana has won a L'Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science mentoring
fellowship. Photo / Supplied
University of Waikato PhD student Kiri Reihana has won a L'Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science mentoring
fellowship. Photo / Supplied
University of Waikato PhD student and ocean scientist Kiri Reihana (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Whakatōhea) just won the L'Oréal-Unesco for Women in Science mentoring fellowship as the first Māori PhD student.
Only one fellowship of this kind is granted in New Zealand each year.
Kiri, now halfway through her PhD, is a mother of four who lives in Te Puke and is based at the University's Tauranga campus. Her Environmental Sciences PhD research is focused on tuangi (cockles) and their impact on the wellbeing of Bay of Plenty's Ōhiwa Harbour.
The French cosmetics company L'Oréal founded the For Women in Science programme together with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 1998 to highlight the importance of ensuring greater participation of women in science and recognise the achievements of exceptional female scientists.
The mentoring award for young Australian and New Zealand women scientists was launched in 2017 and links previous L'Oréal fellows from all over the world, with young and ambitious PhD students from Down Under.
Kiri says that as a student she's always looking for learning opportunities, so when she saw the L'Oréal mentorship she decided to apply.
"The other good thing about the mentoring is that I'm making connections with scientists from around the world.
"Each month for six months I link up with a mentor one-on-one and then all mentees have monthly online private workshops. It's really cool. I've got one coming up in the next couple of weeks on science communication."
The Ōhiwa project is close to Kiri's roots as her mother is Whakatōhea and Ngāi Tūhoe from Whakatane, which is close to the harbour.
Kiri's Environmental Sciences PhD research is focused on tuangi (cockles). Photo / Supplied
Kiri's research focuses on tuangi (cockles), mapping their habitats and populations, and studying how and why they have changed over time, which will help plan for the continued wellbeing of the harbour.
She spent about a month in the summer mapping cockles populations and identifying the seasonal sample sites to capture the condition of the cockles over the year, all while observing the tōrea (oystercatcher bird) which has a synonymous relationship with cockles in Māoridom.
A lab analysis of her results will contribute to a habitat suitability index, developed by Richard Bulmer from Niwa and another of Kiri's supervisors.
Kiri says: "This work will progress the robustness of the software to predict and historically identify where these populations are and were in the past."
For her research, she takes two perspectives: A Te Ao Māori and western science perspective.
After completing her Master of Science degree at the University of Waikato, she worked at Manaki Whenua (Landcare Research) for four and a half years as a taiao ora (environmental health) specialist where she was part of a wider group working on projects that bring mātauranga Māori into their research equally alongside western science.
While working with Manaki Whenua, Kiri felt like a change and associate professor Dr Kura Paul-Burke from the University of Waikato suggested she study for a PhD.
Paul-Burke is now one of Kiri's supervisors and also part of the Ōhiwa project that includes local councils, the Department of Conservation and kaumatua from Whakatōhea, Upokorehe, Ngāti Awa and Tūhoe.
Paul-Burke says Kiri's study is the first of its kind and her findings will inform part of a Shellfish Management Action Plan and the creation of a technological tool to assist iwi monitoring activities in the harbour for the long term.
"Kiri ... has spent many years assisting others with her work. It's wonderful that she's been recognised for her immense effort and further mentored to continue her great work in marine science," Paul-Burke says.
In November, Kiri will travel to Melbourne as a special guest at the L'Oréal-Unesco women in science conference with the other L'Oréal fellows.
Before that, she's off to Spain on a Claude McCarthy Fellowship for the Estuarine, Coastal Shelf Association (ECSA59) conference.
