Haukapuanui Vercoe - 2025 New Zealand Esri Young Scholar

By Haukapuanui Vercoe, Engineering PhD researcher

I am incredibly honoured to have received the 2025 New Zealand Esri Young Scholar Award and to represent Aotearoa at the Esri User Conference in San Diego. I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to Eagle Technology and Esri for this prestigious recognition and the ongoing support of emerging researchers who are using GIS to address critical, real-world challenges.

My project—Adaptations of Marae for Natural Hazards Resilience—sits at the confluence of civil engineering, geospatial science and Indigenous knowledge. Recent natural hazard events have recurrently seen marae play a key role in civil defence response, recovery and relief efforts, providing support and shelter for the community. As vital forms of sociocultural infrastructure, it is critical to better understand their exposure to natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes or tsunami. Through spatial analysis alongside kaupapa Māori research methods, this work aims to enhance the climate, natural hazard and infrastructure resilience of marae. This award is particularly meaningful because it reflects academic achievement, but importantly the value of culturally grounded, community-focused research. I feel privileged to be working in a space where my whakapapa (genealogy), engineering background, and commitment to supporting marae-led adaptation efforts converge through tools like GIS.

Showcasing this work at the Map Gallery in San Diego, alongside Young Scholars from around the world, was an unforgettable highlight. The conference provided unparalleled opportunities to learn from global leaders in spatial science, connect with professionals across diverse sectors and gain new insights into how GIS is supporting communities worldwide.

One of the most meaningful aspects of the Esri User Conference was learning from the experiences of Indigenous communities across the United States. Hearing how they are harnessing the power of GIS to serve their people—whether through environmental stewardship, cultural preservation, or infrastructure planning—was inspiring and offered ideas I am eager to bring home.

I was equally excited by the possibilities emerging from the integration of artificial intelligence with GIS. The ability to make processes faster, more accurate, and more connected—perfectly aligning with the conference theme, GIS: Integrating Everything Everywhere. Seeing these capabilities in action has sparked new ideas for how I might weave AI into my own current and future research.

Attending the Esri User Conference was a truly transformative experience and I am deeply grateful to Eagle Technology for this opportunity. The manaakitanga (hospitality) shown by the Eagle Technology team, who made me feel so welcome and supported throughout the week, was second to none. I have returned home inspired by the scale and diversity of GIS innovation and more motivated than ever to continue supporting marae, whānau, hapū and iwi through applied spatial research