Moana team member: Kimberley Maxwell

Kimberley Maxwell wants to talk about values first when it comes to the ocean. As a descendant of Te Whakatōhea, He Papa Moana team member and aquaculture virtuoso she is making waves in the marine space with her research on Māori fisheries management.

Moana Project Post-doc researcher Kimberley Maxwell in Tauranga 2020

Kimberley Maxwell’s childhood was every naturalist's dream. Growing up in Ōpōtiki alongside the invigorating coast, dense forests and highways of rivers meant there was always somewhere to explore.

“My grandfather lived for hunting and fishing. All of our spare time was spent food gathering, whitebaiting or eeling...we did heaps of it. I grew up in the country, with a lot of animals and fruit trees. A lot of our time was spent in gumboots and togs.”

But it was the ocean that held her interest, and coming from a long line of marine experts it was only natural that she would end up in the sea, literally. As well as being an aquaculture researcher, she is a qualified dive instructor, scientific diver and boat master.

Following a BSc in Zoology at Otago University she completed a Master of Science in Marine Biology at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, pursuing her interests in aquaculture. Kimberley’s Masters focused on sea cucumber growth for a polyculture system - where pāua, mussels, seaweed and sea cucumbers were grown together in a single system - at Hongoeka marae in Plimmerton.

“I did a lot of work with [sea cucumber] larvae, hāpuku, kingfish, pāua…and their spawning processes, I find that pretty amazing. Kind of weird but, seeing that reproduction happening...And then sampling the eggs and seeing the eggs fertilised and developing, I find it fascinating. I think I’ve always been drawn to that part of biology which I think is why aquaculture appeals to me - you’re understanding the reproduction, and the fragile larval life stages as well as producing a food source.”

Sea cucumbers play a vital role in the marine ecosystem, while visually they don’t seem to be anything other than a lump on the seafloor - they actually bear a lot of responsibility. Like earthworms of the sea, they turn over organic matter within the benthic sediments. Through Kimberley’s sea cucumber research she ended up producing a weighty 8 million sea cucumbers larvae to see how long they would grow for.

Moving up the water column, Kimberley’s recently completed PhD focused on Kahawai - a fish well known in Aotearoa for its ability to herd smaller fish while working in schools, and it’s desirable taste when smoked. Kimberley’s journey through her PhD saw her fulfill many accomplishments, including getting behind the rod herself.

“Going from not knowing how to cast a fishing line at all well, to being able to make a lure, tie a lure, reel in kahawai and gut them - all the way to cooking a kahawai a number of ways, I really loved that. That was a pretty cool part of it.”

Returning to Ōpōtiki during her PhD, Kimberley developed a hapū plan for the Mōtū kahawai fishery and published the paper: Fishing for the cultural value of kahawai (Arripis trutta) at the Mōtū River, New Zealand. Her thesis denotes the important idea that within iwi environmental management plans, if one of the principles of management is to use the best information available - mātauranga Māori should be used in lieu of expensive ecology studies particularly if they are likely to give the same results.

All of which is a hugely impressive feat, especially when coupled with the fact that she completed her PhD while embracing being a new mum.

“When I passed my oral exam my supervisor said, “I didn’t think you were going to make it.” With having a baby at the same time, and working, it was no easy feat. My life and PhD weren’t separate, ‘cos that’s not how I roll.”

And it is evident in all that Kimberley does, nothing is done half-baked. Navigating the aquaculture space within Te Ao Māori, business and research has meant that Kimberley has had an extensive insight into Māori interests and relationships with the moana.

“When I got into marine science, it was to support our aquaculture plans that we had as an Iwi, and the more I learn about Māori commercial marine industries, the more I see that there’s a really delicate balance between people acknowledging our Māori values within the business or not.”

Part of Kimberley’s role within the Moana Project is to develop a Moana plan for Ngā Hapū o Te Whakatōhea alongside an Iwi Impact Assessment Framework. Monitoring oceans around the coast of Aotearoa requires tailored understanding, methods and approaches. And with many Iwi based along the coast – the ocean provides both resources and a source of identity.

I grew up with the tikanga that Tangaroa gives us gifts from the sea, and that's why with the Mōtū kahawai - we don’t sell the kahawai. You can give it away but it’s not to be sold.” 

Kimberley hopes that in the future we progress in a way that’s more in tune with our marine environment while supporting people's lifestyles.

“If you’re going to enhance the mauri of the ocean - then you’re achieving my vision

Follow Kimberley and the rest of the Moana Project team members and their progress here