Solid, understandable environmental technical advice is crucial to making better decisions and preserving land and water quality. Often though, public agencies, councils, and iwi in Aotearoa are at a disadvantage: experienced environmental professionals mostly work for private sector clients.

In my time at Environment Canterbury (the Canterbury Regional Council), I had the good fortune to work with some of the best technical professionals in New Zealand, in contaminated land, groundwater, surface water, and water quality. Most councils, though, aren’t so lucky to have such broad and deep technical knowledge in-house. And members of the community might have an even harder time accessing appropriate expertise.

I have always been motivated by public service. With Māia Nui Environmental, I decided to focus on providing technical advice to support councils, iwi, community groups, members of the public, and other public entities who might find it difficult to get advice from most environmental consultancies (for example, due to conflicts of interest).

Māia Nui means “great courage” in Te Reo Māori. To me, it is a call to action—and a reminder that sometimes giving the best advice I can give is not always easy. But in the end, courage is what helps us stay true to our values and to be a source of information that is honest, trusted, and defensible.

If you need advice on land and water contamination, whether it is to review reports, to provide technical advice in a consenting process, to research an issue, or to provide expert evidence, please do not hesitate to contact me.