Dr Hukerenui Bonnet and Dr Ohinerau Bonnet

Tell us a bit about yourselves and where you’re from.

We are Hukerenui and Ohinerau, twin sisters graduating with PhDs in Civil an& Environmental Engineering. Though our family is originally from Tahiti, French Polynesia, we were born here in Auckland, which is why our father wanted us to have Māori names rather than Tahitian ones. We come from a diverse background with Polynesian, Chinese, and French origins, so people often find it challenging to pinpoint our heritage. After graduating from high school in Tahiti, we decided to move to New Zealand to study and have been at the University of Auckland ever since.

What were your PhDs about?

Ohinerau: My research focused on studying enzymes known as “laccases”, which are produced by fungi and bacteria to degrade woody materials. Laccases are also useful for other biotechnological applications, including bioremediation. In my work, I characterised novel bacterial laccases from environmental DNA libraries that exhibited unprecedented activities, leading to the title of my thesis: “Investigating Novel Bacterial Laccases with Biotechnologically Relevant Attributes.”

Hukerenui: My thesis was focused on the microbiological processes involved in wastewater treatment. It was titled “Microbial Dynamics and Mechanistic Insights into a Hydrogenotrophic Denitrifying Microbial Consortium”, which is quite a mouthful. But to summarise it, my research explored the intricate interactions between two hydrogen-respiring bacteria capable of converting nitrate, a common water pollutant, into harmless nitrogen gas. My work provided insights into harnessing bacterial processes for more sustainable environmental remediation, which can help improve the water quality in Aotearoa – something I am very passionate about.

Other than your research, what are your interests and passions?

Hukerenui: I am passionate about people and building connections, values that are deeply rooted in Polynesian culture. Coming from a small country like Tahiti, I take great pride in my origins and have a strong attachment to the concept of "representation", which motivates me to help create opportunities for others with similar backgrounds. On a less “serious” note, I have a wide range of interests. For example, I like to go swimming, I also enjoy art (in all its forms), and I like to paint when I have time to do so.

Ohinerau: I wholeheartedly share the same values as my sister, but I express them in a more “introverted” manner. I like to focus on the interconnectedness of people and the environment, and I'm passionate about exploring how we can each contribute to making these connections mutually beneficial. By preserving our environment, we actively support the well-being of future generations. Otherwise, I have a casual interest in photography, and as someone who tends to be a bit of a homebody, it provides a great excuse to go outside more often and view the world from different perspectives.

Doing a PhD with a twin sister is a special and very unusual experience – tell us about it!

Ohinerau: It’s actually pretty funny because when we first started our degree, we would often hear people say: “doing a PhD is a very lonely experience”, but thankfully since we were doing it together, I don’t think we ever felt that way. Also, despite not being identical twins and not looking very similar to each other, we’ve definitely had several instances where people would mistake one of us for the other and vice versa... It doesn’t help that we were also part of the same research group so: “wait, there’s two of them?” is a sentence we’ve heard many times...

Hukerenui: To add on to what my sister said, I think that it was incredibly helpful to have someone so close going through the same experience alongside me. There's no one better to understand your challenges than someone facing the same ones. This support made the journey less daunting and much more enjoyable. Although our research topics were not that similar, we still could help each other out at times and that was very practical too.

What are your words of wisdom for anyone just starting out on their doctoral journey?

Hukerenui: My advice for people just starting out on their doctoral journey would be to not be afraid of making mistakes. In fact, it’s best to make mistakes as early as possible so you can learn from them and progress faster. Additionally, based on my experience, I can say that no matter how carefully you plan your research, things will never go exactly as planned. But you shouldn’t be discouraged by that because when it comes to doing research, it’s often when things don’t go your way that you can make great discoveries!

Ohinerau: My advice would be: don’t hesitate to ask for help. It’s normal to get stuck, everyone struggles at one point or another. There are many people, both within the University and beyond, who can assist you in getting back on track. During my PhD, I was fortunate to collaborate with different people with different levels of qualifications and expertise, and I found that combining our knowledge allowed us to progress much more quickly than if we had tackled these challenges alone.

Do you have a favorite place in Auckland where you would go to relax while doing your PhD?

Hukerenui: It may sound clichéd, but as someone from the islands, I find the most peace when I’m near the sea. For me, the beach is the perfect place to unwind. Fortunately, Auckland offers many beautiful beaches, and if I had to choose, Piha Beach would be my favorite. We actually visited Piha for the Matariki festival this year with friends, and the energy there was truly remarkable.

Ohinerau: There's a particular spot in Cornwall Park, in Epsom, known as "Twin Oak Drive," and whether I'm walking or driving through it with the windows down, the sight of those majestic trees lining the road always brings me a sense of calm. The fact that it has the word "Twin" in its name is also a bonus...

Where’s next on your travel bucket list?

Ohinerau: We recently went back to Tahiti, and we had the opportunity to meet up with a lot of family from Europe that were visiting at the same time as us, so it would be good if we could go to Europe next time to catch up with them again.

Hukerenui: I share my sister's views about visiting family in Europe, it would be awesome to go there. Additionally, on a personal note, I would love to explore Latin America, and I’m eager to visit more countries in Asia, especially given New Zealand’s proximity to the region.

What are your plans for the future?

Ohinerau: Right now, I am looking to transition out of academia to apply my knowledge and expertise and tackle environmental engineering issues in a bit of a more “tangible” way than research alone allows, so to speak. I really hope to use my unique background and worldview to make a positive impact on the world.

Hukerenui: I am fortunate to be able to continue working in the academic field, thanks to the support of my supervisor, Dr. Wei-Qin Zhuang. I have just started working as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Auckland. I see it as a great opportunity to gain teaching experience, which is something I have always wanted to do, while also continuing with my research work. I believe that it is important to have more Pasifika women in the engineering academic field and I hope to inspire other people like me to do a PhD too!

Which University resources were of greatest help to you during your PhD?

Hukerenui: From a general point of view, the resources provided by Te Tumu Herenga – Libraries and Learning Services were quite useful when we were just starting out. Especially to learn about how to do database searches and proper referencing. Being Pasifika students, we were also fortunate to have specific programmes that were put into place to help us throughout our journey, two of which I would like to give special mention to because I found them extremely useful. The first one is the Leadership Through Learning Programme. It explores topics such as cultural connections, well-being (Hauora), Mahi o te Rangatira; all within the context of exploring leadership through a Māori and Pacific perspective. It is run by a lovely group of people and is a great way to develop leadership skills while connecting with fellow Māori and Pacific students. I cannot recommend it enough!

The second one is the Te Haerenga –Māori and Pacific Employability Programme. It is run by amazing people from the Māori and Pacific career consultant team and conveniently organised as workshops. They are focused on cultural identity and designed to give participants the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to make informed career decisions when transitioning from university to the workplace. It was an awesome opportunity to learn more about what specific values we, as Pasifika people, can bring into our future working environments.

Ohinerau: Although we didn't have the opportunity to get personally involved, we’re also aware of the MAI ki Tāmaki space/network for Māori and Indigenous Doctoral candidates, which is another valuable resource for postgraduate Pasifika students at the University. Finally, we want to thank the University of Auckland for the financial support provided through the Faculty of Engineering Doctoral Scholarships. These scholarships played a crucial role in enabling us to pursue our PhD degrees.