Tessa Thomson

Tessa (Ngāti Tūkorehe, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga) is an Environmental Researcher within Te Kūwaha (Māori Environmental Research Team) at Earth Sciences New Zealand (formerly NIWA). This role follows a 2024 graduate internship within Te Kūwaha. She completed her Master of Science in Marine Biology with First Class Honours, as a part of the He Papa Moana team of the Moana project. She also completed her BSc in Marine Biology and Māori Resource Management.

Her area of research focus has included exploring the history of the taonga shellfish species the Toheroa, through a kaupapa Māori research methodology, and how the weaving together of western science and mātauranga Māori can help to restore the species. Her role at ESNZ specifically focuses on working with Māori in the fields of marine ecology and fisheries. This has allowed her research on the toheroa to continue in the form of a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment. Her passions lie in ensuring mātauranga Māori is at the centre of decision making for taonga marine species, and the wider health of our oceans.