The Pacific Academy of Sciences (PAS) is fast establishing itself as a powerful new force in the region’s research landscape, celebrating its first cohort of Tupaia Award recipients at the Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa Research Symposium on 24 June.
Less than three years since its establishment, the Academy is already carving out a distinct space — grounded in Pacific knowledge systems, collective approaches, and research that speaks directly to the region’s most pressing challenges.
The inaugural Tupaia Awards recognise outstanding emerging Pacific researchers, supporting work that not only advances academic knowledge, but also strengthens Pacific communities and contributes to global conversations.
The recipients are Dr Emma Powell, Dr Iosefa Percival, Dr Alexandre BourlesandUniversity of Auckland researcher Dr Christina Newport whose work examines the intersection of climate change and human mobility across the Pacific.
Dr Newport (Rarotonga, Mangaia, Aitutaki) is a researcher based locally in the Cook Islands. A policy specialist she is the founder and Managing Director of Akairo Consulting and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Auckland. Her project: Pacific knowledge, Global Conversations: Publishing Climate Im/mobility Research focuses on climate mobility with17 communities across seven Pacific countries. It centres Indigenous knowledge and examines Pacific development, climate change, mobility, mental health, wellbeing, sovereignty and community-led resilience.
“I feel really grateful and proud to be a recipient,” Dr Newport says. “Climate change and human mobility is something that deeply affects our region, so being able to take this research further — to package it into articles and share it in ways that inform global debates — is incredibly important in bringing community perspectives to those debates.”
Her research builds on a major collaborative project involving 17 communities across seven Pacific countries, reflecting a distinctly Pacific approach to research — relational, grounded and community-centred.
“It’s important to acknowledge all of the communities who took part in this research,” she says. “This work wouldn’t exist without their knowledge and their time.”
Newport also recognised the collective effort behind the project, including a core research team featuring leading Pacific scholars and practitioners.
“This was a team effort,” she says. “From our research collaborators through to the original funders and the University of Auckland — and now the Pacific Academy of Sciences — this support allows us to extend the life and impact of the work.”
The Tupaia Awards aim to do precisely that: provide emerging researchers with the resources to deepen and share their work, ensuring Pacific perspectives are visible in international research and policy spaces.
PAS Executive Director Li’amanaia Dr Roannie Ng Shiu says the awards reflect the Academy’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of Pacific research leaders.
“The Academy was established to create pathways where Pacific knowledge, research excellence, and leadership can thrive,” she says. “The Tupaia Awards are an investment in our emerging scholars — enabling them to grow their research, strengthen their networks, and contribute to the global knowledge system from a Pacific worldview.”
Named in honour of the renowned Pacific navigator and knowledge holder Tupaia, the awards symbolise navigation, connection, and the transmission of knowledge across generations.
Dr Ng Shiu says the Academy’s growth in just under three years signals both the urgency and the momentum behind Pacific-led research.
“There is a growing recognition that Pacific communities must be at the centre of research that affects them,” she says. “We are seeing a shift — towards research that is by Pacific, for Pacific, and with Pacific communities.”
That momentum is being felt across Waipapa Taumata Rau, where Pacific researchers continue to lead work that spans climate, health, education, and social equity.
For Newport, the Tupaia Award will extend both the reach and impact of her research.
“Our work on climate change and human mobility has significant impacts across the Pacific region. Being able to build on that research — to develop publications, share insights, and contribute to global debates — is a vital part of what we do. This grant strengthens our ability to extend the reach and impact of our research by informing debates as well as taking action based on relevant Pacific evidence.”
Press Release from the University of Auckland
