Applied physical geography in New Zealand

Abstract

Physical geographers in New Zealand have a tradition of applied research in a variety of contexts, including environmental management as well as soil, vegetation and landform systems conservation. In recent years this work has been given new impetus (with the promise of even greater involvement) as a result of economic restructuring at the national level, restructuring of government departments and agencies dealing with environmental and resource management and conservation, the introduction of new statutes relating to environmental and resource management, and major changes in the funding and management of science research in the public sector.

This article provides an overview of the institutional environment within which New Zealand physical geographers now carry out applied work. The contemporary resource management and legislative contexts are described and structural changes that have taken place in New Zealand science over the last decade are reviewed. Research undertaken by the authors or their research students provides examples of the different types of work now being undertaken by physical geographers in New Zealand under the new legislative and funding regimes. Two examples are described in detail. The first is drawn from research dealing with catchment hydrology and water supply and has been undertaken by a physical geographer employed by Landcare Research, a Crown-owned research company. The second comes from work carried out by two university-based physical geographers into the environmental effects on coasts of a new mode of marine passenger transport (`fast ferries'), to meet the requirements of new environmental legislation.