People in the Project: Mckayla Holloway

Role in Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke
Mckayla is passionate about making science accessible, engaging, and meaningful. With a background in environmental science and visual design, she specialise in co-creating compelling narratives, visuals, and experiences with communities.

Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke is one for three case study that make up her PhD. Where she is exploring what emerges when scenario narratives areco-create with communities to explore how we can prepare, act and respond to lake tsunami’s.

Research background
Her research sits at the intersection of environmental science, complex systems thinking, design, and engagement. Where she explore the shifts that occur when we move beyond traditional top-down communication models and instead work in genuine partnership with place-based communities. This involves creating space for collaborative knowledge sharing, where lived experience, Indigenous knowledge systems, and science can intersect and inform one another.

Current research
Mckayla is leading three place-based Emergent Engagement projects that work alongside communities, using participatory and Indigenous design approaches.

• Community-led urban lake revitalisation
• Empowering communities to prepare for lake tsunamis
• Community-powered climate decision-making that prioritise wellbeing, equity, and resilience

Publications
Pearman JK, Wood SA, Vandergoes MJ, et al. (37 other authors including Holloway ME). 2022. A bacterial index to estimate lake trophic levels: National scale validation. Science of the Total Environment, 812: 152385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152385

Ministry for the Environment and Health New Zealand. 2024. Aotearoa New Zealand Guidelines for Cyanobacteria in Recreational Freshwaters. Wood SA, Puddick J, Hamilton DP, Paul WJ, Safi KA, Williamson WM, Thomson-Laing G, Hawes I, McBride G, Kelly LT, Holloway M, Cridge B, Cressey P, Fairbrother P (Eds). Wellington: Ministry for the Environment. https://environment.govt.nz/assets/publications/Cyanobacteria-Guidelines_ME1851.pdf