School of Environment, The University of Auckland

Researchers have identified dozens of previously unknown faultlines beneath Auckland. Scientists, including our very own James Muirhead, will soon begin trenching investigations to learn more about our regions seismic profile.

Read more: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/588430/previously-unknown-faultlines-discovered-in-auckland

📷: Sung Jin Cho/Unsplash

Did you know undersea Pacific volcanoes could disrupt NZ’s internet? Professor Shane Cronin and his team are investigating a critical blind spot: how volcanic eruptions near key submarine cables might sever global connectivity. Their work reveals just how vulnerable NZ’s digital lifelines are - and why we need to prepare 🛜

📷 Zhimai Zhang / Unsplash

Auckland Museum’s The Music Lesson - a small 17th-century Netherlandish painting - recently underwent a New Zealand's first tree-ring analysis of an artwork led by Dr. Gretel Boswijk. The combination of evidence from historical research, paint analysis and dendrochronology determined that ‘The Music Lesson’ was from the early to mid-17th century, although the author of the painting remains unknown 📖

Read more in "Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum”

Earlier this year, ocean moorings arrived back from the Ross Sea on RV Tangaroa after two years of collecting data in the Joides Trough for Melissa Bowen as part of the Antarctic Science Platform. The instruments on the moorings will show how much dense water leaves the sea and how much warmer water flows in 🌊

Dr Gretel Boswijk has a chapter on kauri in a new book “In the Circle of Ancient Trees: Our Oldest Trees and the Stories they tell.” This beautiful book, edited by Dr. Valerie Trouet, combines art and narrative to explore the stories of 10 ancient tree species from around the world, their unique environments and climates, and what they have to tell us about the history of our world. Published by Riverside Press (UK) and Greystone Books (USA) in early October, and can be ordered through any good bookshop.

Postdoctoral Fellow Salene Schloffel-Armstrong and Professor Robin Kearns argue that the growing push for many communities across Aotearoa to try to achieve official "DarkSky Place" designation reflects a desire to maintain our dark skies as a public good 🌌

Read more at Newsroom: https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/03/13/darksky-designation-can-mitigate-privatisation-of-celestial-sphere/

📷: Callum Hill/Unsplash

Access to parks isn’t equal. A study led by Katarzyna Sila-Nowicka used mobile phone data to reveal a harsh truth in Auckland: public housing tenants—already at higher health risk—have fewer, smaller parks nearby and must travel farther to access green spaces. With new park utilisation metrics, the research highlights urgent gaps in urban planning. To reduce inequalities, better access to green spaces is a must 🏡

Read more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204624000690

Earlier this year Associate Professor Melanie Kah contributed to a newly established podcast Spring Story, reflecting on Rachel Carson's enduring impact on science, policy, and our connection to the planet 🌎

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/spring-story-the-legacy-of-rachel-carson/id1786646065

We had a great day meeting everyone at Mānawa Mai Open Day! Here's a few more snaps of the action. If you have any questions about our courses or programmes please get in contact - we're here to help! ✨

We're at Mānawa Mai Open Day! If you're thinking about joining us in 2026 come and chat with our team to find out what studying with the School of Environment is all about. We're on the ground floor of Building 302 (23 Symonds Street) until 4pm today. See you soon! 🤩👋

Whare Ora is redefining housing solutions in Te Tairāwhiti, delivering affordable, transportable homes to Māori whānau. Jack Barrett explores their innovative approach that tackles systemic barriers and reconnects communities with their ancestral lands. 🪴

Read more here: https://theconversation.com/maori-communities-lead-innovative-ways-of-financing-housing-on-ancestral-lands-247179