The Hauraki Gulf, Tīkapa Moana–Te Moananui-ā-toi, is New Zealand’s only marine national park. It’s our Spaghetti Junction of the sea — a 4,000 km² hot-spot for cetaceans, seabirds, sharks and people, a region abundant with biodiversity, large and small.
What draws these large marine organisms to this dynamic place? What stories could they tell us? Is it tough out there for whales, dolphins and seabirds to co-exist with humans who also love to swim, fish, sail and move through the waters? Join Associate Professor Rochelle Constantine as she weaves the story of the Hauraki Gulf and its importance to all megafauna.
BIO
Associate Professor Rochelle Constantine is a conservation biologist and behavioural ecologist at the University of Auckland. Her studies focus on the large charismatic marine animals - whales, dolphins, sharks and seabirds.
Rochelle leads the Marine Mammal Ecology Group at the University of Auckland, advises inter-governmental conservation agencies and co-ordinates international research teams determining the distribution, habitat use and abundance of cetaceans.
Through her work, Rochelle seeks to answer conservation questions concerning some of our most endangered species. She was awarded the inaugural Holdaway Award for Leadership in Research for research on the critically-threatened Bryde’s whale.