Welcome to CitSciNZ!
The Citizen Science Association of Aotearoa NZ (#CitSciNZ) was formed in August 2019. We are part of a growing number of associations around the world dedicated to progressing the field of citizen science in our respective countries. #CitSciNZ is a nation-wide network of citizen science researchers, coordinators, and practitioners all passionate about citizen science. We represent a cross-section of fields and sectors including education (primary, secondary, and tertiary), environmental management, terrestrial and marine sciences. We work for community trusts, NGOs and government agencies as well as schools, universities and museums. We embrace diversity!
What we do
- Promote the growth and development of all forms of citizen science in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Support networking and information exchange between citizen science participants, partners and stakeholders
- Assist citizen science data sharing and re-use opportunities through open access repositories, data quality and interoperability initiatives
- Support technical innovations that enable the collection, visualisation, communication, sharing and re-use of citizen science-generated data
- Encourage the development of government and agency policies and plans that promote and support citizen science projects, programmes and their outputs
#CitSciNZ TEAM
CSAANZ Co-Chairs
Shane is an aquatic landscape ecologist working on the conservation & restoration of aquatic environments and resources. Alongside lending support to community & citizen science initiatives he specialises in land-water boundaries, protected areas planning, and building resilience to natural hazards and climate change. He works as an independent consultant at Waterlink and Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury.
Monica is fascinated by community-based environmental monitoring and researches volunteer motivation, incentives, and science engagement. Armed with a Winston Churchill Fellowship, she traveled to Singapore and Europe in 2019 to investigate Citizen Science programme design, funding and policy.
CSAANZ Secretary / Treasurer
Andrea is the Associate Director of the Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao, supporting science education, knowledge, and understanding within an Aotearoa NZ context for teachers, students, and the community. A former animal curator at Hamilton Zoo, secondary school teacher, and Enviroschools regional coordinator, she has considerable experience in leadership, education, project management, and resource development, especially in science, sustainability, and environmental education. She received the Kudos Secondary Science Educators award in 2018, awarded for significantly enhancing the understanding and appreciation of science in the Waikato wider community..
CSAANZ 2021 Committee
As Director of the NZ Marine Studies Centre, Sally has been the driver behind a number of community education initiatives, citizen science projects (eg. Marine Metre Squared) and educational resources.
Ocean-lover Ben is the co-founder and chair of the Guardians of Kāpiti Marine Reserve Trust, and the Citizen Science manager for a nationwide beach litter monitoring programme with Sustainable Coastlines.
Ash is the environmental educator at Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust, Taranaki. Her core areas of expertise include wildlife and conservation education, education programme and resource development, volunteer management, and community engagement.
Manue is a marine biologist and co-founder of Te Tai Tokerau Debris Monitoring Project, a citizen science-based project monitoring litter in Northland. Her main research interests include anthropogenic effects of human activities, including marine debris, on wildlife and our environment.
Nathan is a soil scientist at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, where he works on S-map, New Zealand’s national digital soil information system. He is interested in opportunities for including citizen science in soil science and sustainable land management.
Elise is the Chair of MAIN Trust, developing ideas for remote electronic monitoring and mapping. She maintains resources and datasets for research and education through platforms like CitSciHub wiki and Moodle. She is also involved in Taranaki’s Kororā census, CatMap, Seachange paua monitoring, and pest monitoring.
Amanda is a freshwater scientist at Greater Wellington Regional Council and specialises in river water quality and ecology, with an interest in microplastics and plastics and their role as freshwater pollutants. She is also a member of the National Advisory Group for Freshwater Citizen Science (NAGFCS) and the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance (APPA).
#CitSciNZ 