Nakita Daniel | McCall MacBain Kupe Leadership Scholar

Masters of Marine Conservation

I love everything about the big blue and how she simultaneously reflects nature's beauty and power. However, human activity and the "out of mind, out of sight" mindset have negatively impacted our oceans worldwide. As a marine scientist in progress with a background in graphic design, I'm passionate about tackling this wicked problem through science communication, education and connecting our people, especially our rangatahi, to our moana.

I believe that the health of our oceans is interwoven with our own human health and well-being. As a result, it is our responsibility to be kaitiaki to our biggest ally and most precious resource. I am excited to be working in the space of marine conservation, and I strive to explore and co-design a collaborative framework for marine protected areas which braids together conventional western science and traditional mātauranga Māori knowledge systems to allow our oceans to not only survive but thrive. 

Sponsor: McCall MacBain Foundation

Mentor: Rod Oram, a New Zealand journalist writing on corporate, economic and political issues. He is a columnist for The Sunday Star-Times, a regular broadcaster on radio and television and a frequent public speaker. He is an adjunct professor in the business school at Unitec in Auckland and he has contributed to several regional economic development projects. In the 2006 Westpac Business & Financial Journalism Awards Oram won the Reporting on Corporate Responsibility, Sustainability or Community Engagement category. Penguin published Oram’s book about the New Zealand economy, Reinventing Paradise, in August 2007. In August 2016, Oram's book Three Cities: Seeking Hope in the Anthropocene was published by Bridget Williams Books.