The climate crisis is one of our generation's defining issues, and an increase in intense rainfall comes with it. Flooding events that used to happen once every hundred years are now occurring more frequently, leaving communities unprepared to handle the aftermath.

Julia Ford and Iisa Salie are fourth-year students at the Faculty of Engineering studying Civil and Environmental Engineering.

They are working to reduce the impact of floods through scientific data, Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), and community values as their Final Year Project.

The pair excelled at mathematics and physics throughout high school and went on to study at the University of Auckland,

“The grounds were so attractive when I visited with my school. I didn't know yet what sort of engineering I would do, but I knew that there would be really cool facilities that would allow me to carry out all these fun experiments,” Julia shares
 

Iisa pursued a conjoint in Engineering with Global Studies, majoring in Sustainable Development and Māori studies,

“This project combines areas of expertise from both of my degrees and presents me an opportunity to collaborate with community members to achieve the best outcome possible,”

"Engineering was broad enough not to make a decision straight away; trying everything first shaped me into who I am today. It’s where I can apply my skills in Maths and Science in a way that makes a meaningful impact on my community,”

“I used to think that engineers were just people in lab coats doing handwritten calculations. Now, in my fourth year of studying Engineering, I admit that my perception was completely wrong. There’s people out in the field working to help the community,”

Julia and Iisa’s research project focuses on the town of Wairoa as a case study, a community grappling with significant flooding issues and aging infrastructure. Together, they identified the need for a targeted approach to enhance the town's flood resilience.

"Wairoa has faced a lot of significant flooding in the past and a lot of the infrastructure is aged," Julia notes.

"We decided to focus on Wairoa as it wasn't receiving some of the resources it needed to develop resilience in the face of climate change and increased flooding risk," Iisa adds,

“In this project, we have been developing scenarios based on the river network and Wairoa's history to gain a better insight into the behaviour of the
catchment and culturally significant areas and practices that should be
preserved.”

Their research aims to develop a flood susceptibility model for Wairoa, a system to predict areas likely to flood to help prevent damage, combining described data from the Indigenous Mātauranga Māori perspective with flooding models.

Julia explains, "We intend on improving flooding models to better represent communities and we acknowledge that they have capability. We want to develop their resilience by making it more specific,"

"We believe that by incorporating Indigenous knowledge via conducting wānanga (workshops) with local Iwi, we can gather insights and truly understand what the stakeholders want from a flooding model to develop their resilience from their perspective." 

But as with any project, you’re faced with challenges to overcome. “Before our visit to Wairoa, we had a solid understanding of the river system, but only from a purely technical viewpoint,” Iisa comments.

“We had very limited insight towards the history and mana of the area itself; a lot of the Mātauranga is not easily accessible online and was something we only truly learnt once we were with the community during our visit,” 

“It's hard to understand the wisdom and experiences of the people without
spending time with them, and prior to our visit, it was a hard task to quantify
this significant aspect of our project.”

With an emphasis on community collaboration, the pair have travelled down to Wairoa personally to interact with the community, experiencing the town firsthand and meeting the affected locals with a deeper insight into the area's flooding.

However, the implications of their work extend beyond Wairoa. By developing a framework that integrates Māori values and knowledge into flood resilience models, Julia and Iisa aim to create a template applicable to other regions in New Zealand.

This approach improves their precision and accuracy of information as well as encourages community ownership and cultural relevance within engineering solutions,

“Working on this project has been such a rewarding experience and will have so many positive benefits for the people,” Iisa shares.

Reflecting on the last four years of studies at the University of Auckland, Julia and Iisa support and encourage other like-minded high school students to consider Engineering.

"Even though it may be daunting, signing up for a four-year degree, when you graduate, you're employable and valued around the world," Julia advises.

Iisa recommends, "If you're considering it, just go for it. Honestly, there's enough variety for you to find what you're passionate about, and you’ll make relationships that will last a lifetime,”

“There is a path for everyone, and the Engineering programme at the University of Auckland is excellent at figuring it out and guiding you in the right direction.”

Julia and Iisa's research project shows the dynamic and socially relevant nature of modern engineering. By combining technical principles with Indigenous knowledge, they are paving the way for innovative, community-centred flood resilience solutions.

Their work reflects the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in addressing complex environmental challenges. It also highlights the contribution of Māori knowledge to engineering practices and the high value it holds here at the University of Auckland.