margin where Antarctica interacts with the rest of the world. “The Sub-Antarctic is the place to go,” Wilson says, “and the hotspot of biodiversity is the Auckland Islands.
He estimates New Zealand needs to spend $12 million a year
“It’s no surprise that it’s also home to a number of iconic species that we associate with Antarctica: penguins, whales, sea lions, albatross, the list goes on. And that’s just the big stuff you can hold and cuddle.”
Antarctic and the Southern Ocean to reach effective decisions.
Wilson’s plan is to set up a research station where a long-term study of the birds and animals of the Sub-Antarctic can be carried out year-round to determine what is natural variability, what is seasonal variability and what differences in the ecology are based on climate change.
focused on this uncertainty of change for humanity”.
“I think we’re about a year away from putting all the elements in place. The biggest challenge is money - the cost to build a research station is $1 million, and about $1 million a year to keep it running year round. Two weeks of measurements every January won’t answer your questions,” he says. Wilson is a committed scientist and researcher at heart; a former lecturer at the University of Oxford and research fellow at Wolfson College, he has made more than 20 expeditions to the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic, and his research programmes have drawn more than $20 million in grants. But he also realises that his leadership and development skills, honed through that work, are in demand. In 2006, Wilson was recognised as a Blake Leader through his effort to bring together the multi-national Andrill (Antarctic Drilling) project. As director of the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute, Wilson sees it as his role to lead the community to solve the questions around climate change. “I love my job. It requires the development of strategy, lining up funders, helping to develop the science case and the methods and implementation plans for answering those questions,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to build a really important programme for the country. It exercises my best skills, which I think are on the strategic and planning sides, developing the vision, and engaging people to commit and deliver it. I get to shape things but not necessarily be at the coalface doing it.”
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on our scientific research effort (that is in addition to the logistics costs of mounting the research expeditions) in Antarctica, the SubThe funders may be from the government – who have a wide range of interests in Antarctica, from science to foreign affairs - or corporate sponsors and foundations, who “are also very much
“The challenge of the Antarctic, Sub-Antarctic and whole marine realm, is that it takes a big team of people and a lot of money to really make a difference. If you want to answer the scientific questions that are big challenges for New Zealand and mankind as we head forward into this warming world, you have to embrace the fact that you have to work on that scale,” Wilson says. “It’s not so much about the size of the region, but the potential impact it has on the rest of the globe.” Wilson would be the first to acknowledge that climate change is a complex problem. But he wants to meet the challenge of finding things that everyday people can associate with, to roll up their sleeves and make a difference. “It’s part of my strategy to find those avenues, so that Kiwis of all backgrounds, jobs and interests can engage with what we are trying to do,” he says. “It requires some kind of crystallisation, which Sir Peter Blake was so good at. He engaged a nation in winning a race, and they backed putting New Zealand on the global map. That’s the very same task we have in front of us with respect to climate, ocean and environmental change.” And that’s why New Zealand has a leadership role to play in the globe’s future. “We have a history of working in the Ross Sea region, a longstanding connection as a nation with the Antarctic, and we have some of the best polar scientists in the world. “We are also well positioned to actually lead the way in terms of understanding because of where we sit on the planet.”
THE DEEP SOUTH: BREAKING NEWS Gary Wilson and the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute notched up a major achievement in May, when the Government identified “The Deep South” as one of the 10 inaugural National Science Challenges. NZARI produced the proposal for the Government, explaining the importance of the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic in determining global climate and the future environment – and also why New Zealanders will be amongst the first to feel the effects of change. Wilson is now developing the science plan in collaboration with New Zealand universities, Crown Research Institutes, Antarctica New Zealand and other government agencies. More than $133 million will be invested in the 10 science challenges over the next four years. Two other research areas chosen also resonate with the philosophies of Sir Peter Blake - “Our land and water” and “Life in a changing ocean”. Sir Peter had a passion for the Southern Ocean, from his many years sailing across it, and often expressed his concern about the ocean’s declining health. Through Blakexpeditions, Sir Peter and his crew focused efforts on drawing attention to the degradation of the ocean. As part of keeping Sir Peter’s legacy, The Sir Peter Blake Trust is exploring a longer term environmental focus on the Southern Ocean and, in particular, the Sub-Antarctic. The Trust is exploring opportunities for youth engagement, and contribution to the future of scientific research and discovery in this area, as part of its new Young Blake Expeditions programme.
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