Associate Professor Ocean Mercier

Ngāti Porou

Victoria University of Wellington, Te Herenga Waka

Associate Professor Ocean Mercier is Head of School at Te Kawa a Māui, Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka and is a leading expert in mātauranga Māori and science.

Ocean’s current rangahau includes Māori and indigenous conceptions of mapping and place, community connections to place, better managing freshwater flows, as well as the social and cultural perceptions of novel biotechnological controls of pest wasps.

Pioneering in the interface of mātauranga Māori and science, Ocean was the presenter of Māori television’s Project Mātauranga and was recently awarded the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Callaghan Medal for science communication in this area.  As a research scientist and collaborator in the Moana Project, Ocean will explore how traditional knowledge and ocean science can enhance the management of coastal and ocean ecosystems for iwi.