Our people

The team was novel in that it included in-depth understanding and contacts with the seafood sector, as well as how Māori communities and economic enterprises operate – these two research platforms are critical to achieving a detailed understanding of the innovation behaviour and capacity of the Māori seafood sector.

Furthermore, the team included scientific, social and economic analyses and business skills – these are a vital combination for gaining insight to this diverse industry – and close involvement with leading North American Indian business development programmes.

Manuka (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kuri) is the foundation director of the Mira Szászy Research Centre for Māori and Pacific Economic Development and Associate Dean (Māori and Pacific Development) at The University of Auckland. He has extensive research experience in understanding human innovation and endeavour, especially in relation to Māori communities. He is the coordinator and one of the key lecturers of the University's Huanga Māori programme, postgraduate study in Māori Business Development, which prepares managers and entrepreneurs for leadership.

View Manuka Henare's staff profile

Basil is Head of Department, Economics at The University of Auckland and an internationally recognised fisheries economist, with extensive expertise in the seafood industry and its regulatory environment. In 1999 he was appointed as an expert adviser to the FAO Fisheries Department to assist with achieving global sustainable fisheries outcomes. He is an advisor to the Ministry of Fisheries on its research portfolio and regularly assists seafood companies with their economic analysis. Basil Sharp's involvement in the research provided the analytical rigour necessary to identify and measure the higher-level economic drivers of innovation in the sector. He also has a great deal of experience extending research findings to end users through seminars, industry workshops and executive programmes.

View Basil Sharp's staff profile

Andrew brings an in-depth understanding of the seafood sector and a wide network of contacts. As NIWA’s aquaculture programme leader he has had close contact with many seafood enterprises actively engaged in innovation. His own research crosses a wide range of disciplines, including economic, social, fisheries and aquaculture. His previous experience in a government policy agency was important in ensuring the outputs from the research are relevant to policy makers and achieved successful outcomes.

View Andrew Jeff's staff profile

Jay has expertise in modelling and empirics of value chain and supply chain management, especially in various New Zealand sectors, such as forestry and dairy. He is the leader of the Enterprise Systems and Supply Chain Management academic-corporate forum at The University of Auckland Business School. His in-depth understanding of value chain dynamics was vital in analysing the value and patterns of innovation application at various stages in the value chain for the seafood sector.

View Jay Sankaran's staff profile

Shantha has worked in industry, government and academic institutions in the areas of management of innovation and technology management. Previously, he was the Director of Technology Management Centre of the University of Queensland where he developed a novel postgraduate programme in technology and innovation management. Shantha has extensive experience in applied techniques for fostering technology and innovation through his consultancy experience with various Government and International development Agencies such as the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, UNESCO and AusAid. His international experience in innovation practice and policy ensured that a high quality approach was brought to identifying and analysing the drivers of innovation in the seafood sector.

Val has a long association with research in the areas of Māori economic development, strategic management and internationalisation. She is currently Associate Professor at the school of Marketing and International Business, Victoria University of Wellington. She has worked extensively in industry and government sectors relating to strategic planning, international development and economic development. Previous positions include coordinator of the Diploma in Business (International Strategy and Leadership), Strategic Planning course controller for the Diploma in Business (Māori Development). Val has also supervised Māori postgraduate students involved in Māori economic development research.

Visit Victoria University's website to view Val Lindsay's staff profile

Manley (Navajo) is the director of the Native Nations Institute for Leadership Management at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy. He is also Senior Lecturer in the American Indian Studies Programme at The University of Arizona and Co-director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development at the John F Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Manley's role in the research was to provide peer review and advice on the progressing research through an annual visit for this purpose. He also facilitates the benchmarking of Māori innovative capacity against Native American capacity, including the seafood sector. In addition, he has offered to host Māori postgraduate students working in this area so that they may gain cross-cultural insights into aspects of the role of innovation in American Indian economic development.

Visit the University of Arizona to view Manley Begay's staff profile

Dr Guy Penny (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngapuhi) is a geographer with an interest in sustainable communities and renewable energy. He is a member of Te Kūwaha and primarily works with the climate and energy applications team at NIWA in Auckland, as well as other NIWA groups.

Apanui (Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Parehauraki, Ngāti Raukawa ki te au o te tonga, Ngāti Toa, Te Āitanga-a-Mahaki me Ngapuhi) is the Māori Development Manager for NIWA. He has a Bachelor of Māori and Pacific Development from the University of Waikato. His role in NIWA is the establishment of a Māori Research and Development Unit, Te Kuwaha o Taihoro Nukurangi, with the purpose of providing research and development capability with a strong Māori perspective. Apanui's role was to ensure that the relationships with Māori research participants were handled in an appropriate manner, and that the outcomes of the research were communicated in a form where they could be quickly applied by Mäori individuals and organisations.

Waitai (Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kuri) represented the Māori Fisheries Commission on the Seafood Industry Training Organisation (SITO), the Māori Caucus – Seafood; and the Aquaculture – Education Advisor Group. He was also the Māori representative on the Maritime Seafood Educators Association of Aotearoa (MSEAA). He was a director of the Far North Fishing Company, Te Aupouri Fishing Company and Aquaculture Ventures Fishing Company. Waitai has completed his Masters of Management Degree at The University of Auckland Business School investigating Māori commercial fishing activities.

Julie is responsible for liaising between the University library and The University of Auckland Business School's research centres and institutes. She worked with the Seafood industry study group to provide support services for their research. Julie managed the construction of an indexing thesaurus for publications and correspondence for the group. She also prepared a website of publications, information, statistics and electronic resources to assist their research. Julie investigated the control of publications collected during the course of the study, with a view to preserving them electronically for the future.

View Julie Sibthorpe's staff profile