The Meadow Mushrooms Waterways Masters Scholarship: Te Waihora lake opening (closing 1 November)

Waterways at Lincoln University is pleased to announce this fully funded Masters Scholarship.

Te Waihora | Lake Ellesmere is a large, shallow, brackish lake intermittently and artificially opened to the sea. Water levels are managed by mechanically opening the lake to the sea to meet a range of objectives, including preventing land inundation, protecting infrastructure, supporting tuna (eel) migration, facilitating mahinga kai access, improving water quality, and supporting habitat. Meeting all objectives requires a delicate balance amid changing environmental conditions and conflicting interests. Current resource consents for lake opening will expire in January 2029: this provides an opportunity to reconsider the current opening protocol.

This research synthesises scientific knowledge and analyses lake opening protocol options to support decision-making towards sustainable and multi-functional Te Waihora futures. The student will select key values related to lake opening, synthesise state-of-the-art knowledge about how different water level patterns affect different values, sketch a manageable number of plausible protocols, analyse potential trade-offs under each protocol, and make recommendations for future research and management.

Meadow Mushrooms is funding this scholarship ($27,500 NZD to cover fees, stipend, and research expenses) to a student to conduct this research through Waterways at Lincoln University.

This project is developed with input from Te Taumutu Rūnanga, with the student supported to engage with Rūnanga representatives as appropriate throughout the research.

For more information, download the scholarship document here.