Three new Companions recognised for decades of leadership and innovation

They are Professor Jacky Bowring, Professor Paora Tapsell and Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr.

Professor Jacky Bowring CRSNZ has been elected as a Companion of Royal Society Te Apārangi for her innovative career and scholarship in landscape architecture.

For four decades, Jacky has been bringing together scholarship, design practice, and design critique to connect knowledge and its application in the built environment.

While the scope of her work in landscape architecture is broad, Jacky has found meaningful focus in the design of memorials.

Read more about Jacky's election as Companion.

Professor Paora John Tohiteururangi Tapsell CRSNZ has been elected as a Companion of Royal Society Te Apārangi for his far-reaching innovation, commitment, and leadership within Māori communities.

Paora has been a consistent advocate for Māori health and wellbeing. He has led and participated in research projects focusing on Indigenous issues, heritage, and community development, particularly within Aotearoa and the Pacific.

His work synthesises social science and Mātauranga research, addressing challenges such as heritage protection, water security, food sovereignty, and the impact of climate change on Indigenous peoples and ecosystems.

In recent years, Paora has become known for his Takarangi Research-led work under Project Kāinga, a five-year research programme assisting isolated marae communities better shape a future that builds community and environmental resilience in the face of climate change.

Spanning three decades, Paora’s career has seen him in roles as a curator, director, and an academic. He has worked, researched, exhibited, consulted, and lectured worldwide.

Read more about Paora's election as Companion.

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr CNZM CRSNZ (Tainui) has been elected as a Companion of Royal Society Te Apārangi for his outstanding leadership and service in revitalising the mātauranga and legacy of double-hulled ocean-voyaging waka hourua in Aotearoa and throughout Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.

Hoturoa paddles waka, sails waka, and teaches waka. He is one of the few holders of mātauranga whakatere waka here in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Hoturoa has built a national profile and gained international recognition as a passionate communicator for ocean voyaging.

Read more about Hoturoa's election as Companion.