Dr Gavin Kenny formed Earthwise Consulting Limited at the beginning of 2001. Prior to this time he had spent a decade working on climate change projects in the UK and Europe, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Bangladesh. These projects involved a range of activities including research, capacity building and professional development.
Since 2001 Gavin’s focus has been grassroots adaptation to climate change, science communication on climate change and sustainable agriculture. This has involved working with farmers, Regional Councils, Government ministries and others within New Zealand. A self funded overseas trip in 2007, involving interviews with farmers in Asia and Europe, reinforced lessons gained from interactions with New Zealand farmers regarding climate change.
Gavin’s adaptation work is ongoing, both in New Zealand and through international linkages.
Qualifications and work experience
Gavin has a mix of practical and academic experience
- 1977 – forest labourer with the New Zealand Forest Service.
- 1978-81 – completed a Bachelor of Horticultural Science at Massey Univeristy, New Zealand. This was a 4-year degree that was mostly prescribed until the final year. Disillusioned with what I experienced as non-critical learning I chose not to specialise in my final year, as normally expected. Instead I studied ecology, natural resource economics and environmental agricultural science.
- 1982-83 – spent time WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), fruit picking in Central Otago, working and travelling in Australia, back-packing through Asia.
- 1984-1985 – enrolled at Lincoln College, University of Canterbury for a Masters in Horticultural Science, with the aim of being the first student to complete post graduate research at the Biological Husbandry Unit. I gained an honours degree, focusing my thesis research on insect pest interactions through an intercropping trial.
- 1986-1989 – enrolled at Lincoln College for a PhD in Agricultural Meteorology.
- 1990 – A few months house-sitting by the beach followed by 6 months contract work with the former New Zealand Meteorological Service.
- 1991-1992 – Research scientist in the UK, based initially with the Atmospheric Impacts Group, Birmingham University and subsequently a founding staff member with the Environmental Change Unit (now Institute) at Oxford University.
- 1993-2000 – Research Fellow and then Senior Research Fellow with the International Global Change Institute, University of Waikato New Zealand.
- 2001-present – Director, Earthwise Consulting Limited.
Gavin has been a contributor to the IPCC since the mid 1990s. He was a lead author of the Agriculture chapter in the Second Assessment Report and has been a contributing author to the Australia/New Zealand chapters of the Third and Fourth Assessment Reports.
Contact: +64 6 870 8466; Email: inquiries@earthlimited.org
© Copyright 2010 Gavin Kenny and Earthwise Consulting Limited