Pūtahi Research carries out research, consulting, and outreach services in the areas of water, climate, and resilience. Its mission is to increase our resilience to climate change and other environmental risks by bringing together science and policy, water and climate.
The name - Pūtahi - refers to the confluence of rivers and also to the confluence of ideas. It is also apt that the word has another meaning - stratus clouds - thus tying together water and climate.
The logo is based on the poutama, a stepped pattern used in Māori weaving used to symbolise both whakapapa and levels of attainment in the pursuit of knowledge. Here, the poutama resembles a river, being fed by confluent streams of knowledge.
Daniel (Pākehā, Ngāpuhi) works at the confluence of freshwater, climate, and society. He has 25 years’ experience researching and consulting on environmental change, specialising in water resources, floods, and climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand. Over this time he has provided expert advice for central and local government, Iwi, and private and non-profit sectors. He publishes and presents his research nationally and internationally, readily communicates with media and communities about science, and has served as a contributing author on Aotearoa New Zealand’s water resources for two IPCC reports. Daniel received a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Masters in Environmental Policy and Management from Lincoln University.