Management Committee

Amy Robinson (Co-Chair)

Email: Amy.Robinson [at] waikatoregion.govt.nz 

Manager - Regional Consents

Waikato Regional Council

Bio: Amy is the Regional Consents Manager at Waikato Regional Council.   She has a Masters degree in physical coastal science from University of Waikato and has previously worked at the Department of Conservation and Waka Kotahi.  Amy’s primary area of interest is in coastal geomorphology, hazard management and preservation of natural character in the coastal environment. She joined NZCS as a student member in 2001 and she has been on the Management Committee for nine years.

Colin Whittaker (Co-Chair)

Email: c.whittaker [at] auckland.ac.nz

Lecturer

The University of Auckland

Bio: Colin Whittaker is a lecturer in Civil Engineering Hydraulics at the University of Auckland. His teaching spans the civil engineering curriculum, from basic fluid mechanics and hydraulics through to coastal and water resources engineering. His research and professional work is primarily experimental, and includes the generation, propagation and impacts of tsunamis and extreme (rogue) waves, and the mitigation of coastal and fluvial flood events. He has also undertaken recent research in particle transport beneath wave groups, with applications to the transport of microplastics in the ocean.

Sam Morgan (Deputy Chair | Professional Development Coordinator)

Email: sam.morgan [at] wsp.com 

Technical Principal - Coastal Adaptation

WSP

Bio: Sam is a Coastal Scientist with an interest in how coastal processes contribute to beach and estuarine morphology. His academic background has mostly focused in estuarine geomorphology and processes which he has subsequently applied to beach processes and morphology. Currently he is a Technical Principal at WSP and draws upon his experience in roles as an academic, coastal asset manager, regulator, internal council advisor and as a consultant to provide guidance and direction on coastal projects and best practice approaches.

Michael Allis (Treasurer | Special Projects Coordinator)

Email: mike.allis [at] beca.com

Senior Associate – Coastal Engineering, Resilience and Adaptation

Beca

Bio: Michael is a coastal engineer at Beca with a keen interest in coastal and oceanographic physical processes. His engineering interests include applied coastal geomorphology, coastal engineering and shoreline management, coastal hazard risk assessments and coastal adaptation to climate change. Complementing his engineering work, Michael has research interests in deep-water wave breaking (breaking onset and energy dissipation), coastal processes and community coastal adaptation processes.

Ryan Abrey (Deputy Treasurer | National Regional Coordinator)

Email: Ryan.Abrey [at] stantec.com  

Senior Civil and Coastal Engineer

Stantec

Bio: Ryan is a professionally registered engineer with more than a decade of experience in the civil and coastal disciplines. He has a master’s in coastal engineering and experience in design, contract documentation, project management, and implementation.

After spending time in civil construction in Zambia, Ryan has been specialising in the design and specification of hydraulic structures for the abstraction and delivery of water with a PRDW Port and Coastal Engineers in Cape Town. Since joining the Wellington Stantec Water team in New Zealand, he has been involved in a variety of projects such in coastal protection, ports, marine outfalls, as well as some more unconventional projects such as the Wellington Water Cross Harbour Bulk Water Pipeline.

He’s also an avid trail runner, having run a couple of trail ultra-marathons, and volunteers at his church

Bryony Miller (Awards & Scholarship Coordinator | Te Komiti Māori)

Email: bryony.miller [at] e3scientific.co.nz 

Senior Freshwater and Marine Ecologist

e3Scientific

Bio: Experienced Senior Environmental Scientist with a demonstrated history of working in the fishery industry. Skilled in Biodiversity, Environmental Impact Assessment, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Awareness, and Scuba Diving. Strong community and social services professional with a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) focused in Marine Sciences from Auckland University of Technology.

Shari Gallop (Te Komiti Māori)

Email: shari.gallop [at] waikato.ac.nz

Senior Lecturer

University of Waikato

Bio: Shari (Ngāti Maru, Te Rarawa) is an experienced coastal scientist with national and international experience in coastal hazards such as flooding and sea-level rise, coastal nature-based solutions, geomorphology, estuarine processes, and blue carbon in restored coastal wetlands. Shari works to bridge Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) with western approaches across a diverse range of commercial projects, research, teaching and community outreach. Shari works across two complementary roles, as Service Leader in Water Resources at Pattle Delamore Partners (PDP) and as Senior Lecturer at the University of Waikato based in Tauranga. Shari is also Co-Chair of Women in Coastal Science & Engineering (WICGE) and Associate Editor for Anthropocene Coasts.

Ana Serrano (Coastal News & Special Publications Coordinator | National Regional Coordinator)

Email: ana.serrano [at] boprc.govt.nz   

Environmental Engineer

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Bio: Ana is a Civil Engineer with a Masters on Coastal and Marine Engineering and Management. She has also been formed by UNESCO-IHE in Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

Ana has international experience working for a research company developing state-of-the-art modelling software, and she has been involved in multidisciplinary projects focused in working with nature solutions to mitigate flood risk in The Netherlands and Spain.

Since moving to New Zealand, Ana has been involved in a great variety of coastal projects: she has been directly involved with national infrastructure companies to protect and/or repair their assets, analysed the risks to natural hazards to feed into the masterplan of some major oil and gas companies, and she has successfully completed coastal processes assessments for various resource consent applications. More recently, she has been more involved in developing execution plans for shoreline management strategies with a focus on community engagement. 

Mark Ivamy 

Email: mark.ivamy [at] boprc.govt.nz    

Natural Hazard Advisor

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Bio: I work at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council as a Natural Hazards Advisor. This role involves increasing our knowledge of natural hazards in the Bay to determine the risk to our community. This knowledge can then be used to increase community resilience through risk reduction planning. I specialise in coastal hazards including coastal processes, hazard and engineering. I also enjoy using online GIS systems to explore and share natural hazard information.

Tom FitzGerald (Conferences Coordinator)

Email: tomf [at] nrc.govt.nz

Policy Specialist: Adaptation and Risk 

Northland Regional Council

Bio: Tom possesses nearly 20 years of experience across a variety of coastal-related roles throughout NZ, Australia and the UK. Up until February 2021 Tom ran his own company that coordinated and led multi-disciplinary teams designing, delivering and evaluating coastal adaptation strategies for local and regional governments across Aotearoa New Zealand.  

Tom spent the better part of the last decade working and researching coastal management in Australia, including key initiatives like the NSW Coastal Management Act 2016, natural hazards policy and marine estate management. Now with Northland Regional Council Tom provides specialist advice on risk and adaptation policy and provides a key link between science and community, knowledge and action.

Tom is also a member of the Australian Coastal Society and a member of the NSW Coastal Conference organising committee.

Sarah McSweeney (University & Education Coordinator)

Email: sarah.mcsweeney [at] @canterbury.ac.nz  

University of Canterbury

Bio: Sarah is a coastal geomorphologist at The University of Canterbury who grew up in the Waikato. Her research focuses on estuary physical processes and management (especially estuaries that open and close), the Holocene evolution of estuaries and beach ridges, and the interactions between climate, waves, and shoreline change. Sarah is passionate about undertaking research that can contribute to improving our understanding how coastal processes may change in future and that is useful in practice for coastal communities and managers. She also is a keen middle distance and trail runner and loves hiking, the outdoors, and cold swims at the beach.

Jenni Fitzgerald (Conferences Coordinator)

Email: jenni.fitzgerald [at] @nzta.govt.nz

Whaka Kotahi - New Zealand Transport Agency

Bio: 

Connon Andrews (Coastal News and Special Publications Coordinator)

Email: connon.andrew [at] niwa.co.nz 

Manager - Coastal Climate Risk and Infrastructure

NIWA

Bio: Connon is a specialist in coastal science and engineering with over 25 years of experience. Technical strengths include coastal processes, natural hazards, coastal engineering, master planning, climate change, disaster risk reduction, and environmental assessment.  He has extensive international experience and provides advisory, consulting, and engineering services. Connon regularly provides expert technical advice, expert evidence and witness, and peer review services to local and central government.  Connon also serves as a specialist advisor in climate change and disaster risk assessment for the Pacific Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) and the Asian Development Bank Pacific climate change office.

Charles Hendtlass (Coastal News Editor)

Email: cellwairmonk [at] gmail.com   

Charles has been a copy editor and technical writer for nearly 36 years, only interrupted by short stints as a high school teacher and as a research fellow at Canterbury University. After gaining undergraduate degrees in Physics and English, Charles completed a Masters in Resource Management that led (accidentally) to a career in writing and editing. After two years as a journal copy editor for Elsevier in Oxford, he later joined the Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Canterbury where he ran the Centre’s publishing programme for 16 years. His involvement in editing and publishing has continued on a freelance basis since 2008. Charles’ involvement in NZCS goes back nearly 25 years, when he first started desktop publishing Coastal News.

Renee Coutts (Administrator & Communications Coordinator) 

Email: nzcoastalsociety [at] gmail.com

Bio: Renee is an Administrator for the New Zealand Coastal Society and has been a member of the NZCS since 2010 initially as a student member.  Renee's technical background is in earth sciences - specifically Coastal Science and holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree from the University of Waikato.  She has been working within Local Government since 2012 and is currently a Compliance and Improvement Team Leader within the three-waters sector focusing on resource consent compliance, environmental monitoring, and drinking water standards. 

Belen Rada (Administrator & Communications Coordinator)

Email: belen.rada [at] wmk.govt.nz  

Project Engineer

Waimakariri District Council

Bio: Belen is an Administrator for the New Zealand Coastal Society and a Civil Engineer with a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Coastal and Marine Engineering and Management from TU Delft. She has international experience including working for Delta Marine Consultants developing the XBloc+, the newest concrete unit. At WDC, Belen has been involved in a variety of coastal, stormwater, wastewater, and water supply projects.