Role at Cawthron
Kati is a freshwater ecologist who specialises in science communication and native fish ecology with an emphasis on migration barriers. Other areas of expertise include river ecology, restoration and spatial analysis.
She spent part of her working career in the tropical islands of Fiji (2015-17), working as a Cawthron Research Associate and Communications Lead for the ‘New Zealand Fish Passage Advisory Group’. Kati has had long-term involvement with Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA), a website that shares environmental information from councils throughout New Zealand, including state and trend data from more than 1100 rivers. Her role in this project includes validating the processes behind the data shown on LAWA to ensure only trustworthy information is included on the website, and contributing scientific and educational content to the site.
Technical skills, experience and interests
Science communication
Quality control and assurance of data, and data analysis
Native fish ecology
River restoration
Spatial mapping and analysis
Urban stream ecology
Ecological habitat impact assessment
Electric fishing certified
Professional affiliations
New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society (executive committee)
New Zealand Fish Passage Advisory Group (Communications lead)
Qualifications
MSc (First Class Hons, Freshwater Ecology). University of Canterbury, 2009
BSc (Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning). Technical University of Munich, 2002
