Pasifika women aboard the 'Floating University' champion data-driven ocean management

Having researched data available will assist Pacific Island nations manage their ocean resources, prepare well for natural hazards and ensure the right decisions are made.

That's the verdict of three Pasifika students who spent 26 days on board the research vessel RV Tangaroa, in a joint partnership project between the Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA) and the Pacific Community (SPC).

The RV Tangaroa is New Zealand's only ice-strengthened, deep-water research ship and serves as a floating lab. It maps the seabed, studies marine life, and conducts climate research across the Pacific and Antarctica.

In the past 26 days, Ueakeia Tofinga of Kiribati, Vanuatu's Jessica Maoh and Solomon Islands' Florence Townshend joined the RV Tangaroa crew and the scientific research team on a trip that covered the ocean around the Pacific Island region. It was part of the 'Floating University', which aims to giving early-career Pacific Ocean professionals the chance to experience life and science at sea while building skills and connections across the region.

Earth Science New Zealand's Pacific strategy and engagement advisor Molly Powers-Tora told RNZ Pacific at the institution's main office at Evans Bay in Wellington voyages like this challenge students with a mix of practical and classroom-based activities, with scientists, technicians and crew all contributing, supported by expert guests who join via satellite.

She said the primary purpose of the voyage is going up to maintain the tsunami buoys around the island nations so that Earth Science New Zealand is "able to monitor tsunamis and protect the region, so we have a really good understanding of movements and seismic threats in the region".

"We see that as a platform to do other critical research that supports better understanding of the region, because we're going up into these same areas year after year, that's where the idea to start monitoring what zooplankton, crabs, what growth we see on the different buoys as we bring them on board, monitoring, checking out the micro plastics.

"So we're actually building a data set that will provide some great insights into changes, and possible changes due to changing climate, to changing salinity, because we have that regular data set.

"The opportunity of bringing Pacific Islanders aboard the voyage and exposing them to the whole life at sea, to the whole systems and science that's happening on the voyage. We don't know, maybe what seeds might be planted in that opportunity."

Kiribati's Tofinga, who works as a hydrography coordinator for the Kiribati Hydrographic Unit, under the Marine Division, said doing the research work she witnessed during the voyage and getting the data from those reseaches would benefit her island country manage its marine resources.

"I would say that this research would be beneficial and even having data on microplastics and how that is affecting marine life in Kiribati," she said.

She said the experience presented her with a lot of knowledge, especially onw the importance of collecting data and translating that into information that can advice informed decisions.

"It really gives me like an overall idea of how to collect data, clean the data, and what it's like to be on work on board with scientists and what they do," she stated.

"I think the highlight of the trip for me is the science people sharing their PhD research journey because I'm getting to do a research but I don't know where to to start, and you know, but yeah, sharing their journey with us was very helpful, and it's made realize that if they can do it we can too."

Motivation to further career

Vanuatu's Maoh said her experience has moved her to chase her lawyer degree and work on having legislations and laws that can enusre data is used to help manage the ocean and its resources in her home country.

She also wants to make sure that more locals, islanders from around the Pacific, do get into research and are able to translate data so that the information can then help their own in the work they do around managing and protecting natural resources.

"I can say that it has motivated me to further pursue my career, maybe going to masters or even into PhD, not because it's something that I've seen people have, and I wanted to have it, but because I believe that there are career gaps in our country, and in the regional level, there's career gaps as well.

"We, islanders need to fill those gaps, rather than having people from outside come in to fill this without fully understanding our context and our regional customs and tradition is one thing.

"As a Pacific Islander, I would love to see more people in spaces like this and work that involve science and ocean, and my background is in law, and connecting law and science to develop policy is something that I hope to do in the future.

"And translating that to suit our local context is something that I would love to see myself do in the future, and this voyage has taught me a lot, and I will need time to go back and grasp all the things that I've learned, but yes, one take away from this is that it has motivated me to elevate."

Maoh said the journey allowed her to experience first time being on board a scientific research vessel, and added it has been "very insightful ... and this opportunity has allowed me to be in a space where I get to experience that and see that firsthand".

"I would say that before the voyage I didn't know what set of expectations I would have. But I would say that I've learned more in the past three weeks than in nine months to 11 months in my career."

Overcoming challenges

Solomon Islands' Townshend said the journey had a personal touch on her, especially overcoming her fears of the sea and sea sickness.

"As a Solomon Islander I was expecting that I would be strong when we go out to sea, because having an islander background, I was, oh yeah thinking I can do this, I'll be okay," she revealed.

"But I have had challenges with seasickness, yeah, and I think that is my main challenge I have come across," she said.

"And the trip has helped me overcome this challenge and I've learned that it is important to understand your limits and don't be so hard on yourself."

Townshend said learning how to conduct research and then understanding the data gathered from the work one was a big experience for her.

She is a university graduate and is on attachment with the Fisheries Ministry back home.

The voyage experience, especially working with the scientists on the vessel, has confirmed to her the importance of research of having researched data made available that can help decisions made.

Powers-Tora said she is excited with their co-horts for this journey period and said if they are able to help Pacific youths interested in ocean research then they would be doing the region a big favour.

"Each individual is going to take that forward in a different way in their different career journeys, but I can definitely say, just listening to the three, it's filling my heart with hope for the region," she said.

"I know one of our speakers, Jackie Evans, who's with Wildlife Conservation Society, formerly from Cook Islands Marai Moana program, said when we asked her what gives her hope about the future, it's young people like you, and everything that you're doing, and the ambitions, and the thoughtfulness, that's what we really need.

"I think, even more to support our marine resources, is to build a really strong network of young Pacific people to take us forward into the next area. This program is one small part of that, but we're really privileged, I think, to be able to support it."

The programme will continue annually and Earth Science New Zealand will be calling for expressions of interest for 2027 from the Pacific in the next few months.