We are always excited to see new thinkers join the team, and saddened to see experienced ones go. We have had a few changes to the team over the past year. We lost a much loved and respected member of our team when Richard Shonakan passed away after a long illness in February. Richard was committed to Sustainable Future’s vision and work, and will be greatly missed by us all.
Late last year Jess Prendergast joined the research team. Before joining the team she worked for the Ministry for the Environment, and spent time travelling in South America. Following Mark Newton’s departure to become a DOC ranger at Aoraki/Mount Cook, Chris Aitken took the reigns of the Government-funded Science Under the Microscope paper and is preparing it for publication. Steph Versteeg, former assistant project manager at the Sustainable Future Institute, returned to the team after a year working with Volunteer Services Abroad in Zambia. Former employee Joe McCarter left for Vanuatu where he is currently researching his PhD, while Dave Henley continues his intrepid journeys through North America as well as his involvement with us and 350.org.
This month Nicola Bradshaw returned from completing a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration with a triple major in Commercial Law, Management and Public Policy at Victoria University. The Institute also welcomed two new staff members: Rory Sarten and Louise Grace-Pickering. Rory has completed an honours degree in Sociology. Louise is taking over as our resident librarian and is working on making our library database accessible to the public. Perrine Gilkison, our former librarian, is off to complete her honours in History.
At the end of this month, two of our permanent staff are leaving the office; Jean-Charles Perquin is off to Whangarei to join his partner who has recently been employed by the Northland Regional Council as a hydrologist, and Willow Henderson is moving to part-time employment to pursue her interests in publishing.