Rob has overseen the planning and direction of NIWA’s science, along with the management and operation of NIWA’s research vessels since 1999. This has included research, and its application associated with fisheries, coasts and oceans, climate and atmosphere, and natural hazards. He has extensive experience in science management and has worked closely with Government organisations responsible for science policy and strategy for over 20 years, including a 7-year secondment to MBIE as a Departmental Science Advisor. He has a research background in marine science, from the coast to the deep sea, and has worked with a range of sectors, including oil and gas, electricity, fisheries, aquaculture, and central and local government. Over the past 5 years he has been promoting to industry and government the need to build resilience to the growing impacts of climate extremes.

Will is a Co-Founder of Vadis Geomatics and Aerial Survey Manager at Christchurch Helicopters. He has a scientific research background in landscape geomorphology and nearly a decade of experience in surveying built and natural environments. Will leverages advanced remote sensing technologies, including topographical and bathymetric LiDAR, to precisely measure infrastructure and their surrounding environments. At Vadis, his team collaborates with NIWA and The University of Canterbury to analyse data, identify hazards, and detect changes in these landscapes. This work informs management decisions and enhances infrastructure resilience. In recent years, Will has contributed to several key rail surveying projects, such as the digital twin of the Wellington Terminus and Rail Yard, mobile laser scanning of the Papakura to Pukekohe lines for the P2P Project, and the post-Cyclone Gabrielle aerial LiDAR survey of the Napier to Gisborne rail corridor and the Esk River Catchment for emergency response and damage assessment. Vadis aims to make insights from engineering-grade, network-scale data accessible to all New Zealand infrastructure and environmental managers, enabling us to enhance our resilience to climate change and natural hazards.