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WHO WE ARE

Moananui forges strategic partnerships between forward-thinking organisations across diverse industries including aquaculture, fisheries, biotech, bluetech, ocean energy, research, engineering and infrastructure.

Our partners work collectively to solve ocean challenges and accelerate the growth of the blue economy.

OUR PARTNERS

“Our oceans have vast, untapped potential to rebalance and reduce our overall impact on the environment. We are excited about what Moananui can achieve, bringing people together to learn to trust each other, collaborate, and create great opportunities.”
VOLKER KUNTZSCH
 - CAWTHRON CEO
“New Zealand is small and that gives us the opportunity to work together. When we can bring together the value of the knowledge that we all hold, whether as an individual or an organisation, that value increases hugely”.
HELEN MUSSELY
 - PLANT & FOOD RESEARCH GM SCIENCE, SEAFOOD TECHNOLOGIES
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OUR LEADERSHIP GROUP

Moananui is a not for profit organisation with a partner-based Leadership Group providing oversight and strategic direction.
Scott Gillanders
MacLab NZ Limited
(Co Chair)
Scott is Chief Operating Officer at MacLab (NZ) Ltd and boasts an extensive career in aquaculture and seafood. His professional journey spans from vessel operations at sea...
Scott is Chief Operating Officer at MacLab (NZ) Ltd and boasts an extensive career in aquaculture and seafood. His professional journey spans from vessel operations at sea, encompassing catching, growing, and seafood processing, to the oversight of manufacturing operations on land.

Scott is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors, and he is currently on the boards of Aquaculture New Zealand, Spat Innovations Ltd and various MacLab affiliates. He has previously served with the Marine Farming Association.

His career achievements include delivering large capital projects, recognising opportunities and driving change, and spearheading significant growth in aquaculture operations. He excels in bridging the gap between science and industry, fostering collaborations that yield innovative solutions to industry challenges.

Scott has a passion for sustainable aquaculture and innovation. He firmly believes that nurturing the blue economy will not only bring economic prosperity, but also deliver substantial social and environmental benefits, both here in Te Tau Ihu and New Zealand as a whole.
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Helen Palmer
Plant and Food Research
(Co Chair)
Helen leads Plant & Food Research’s Seafood Technologies portfolio, which covers a wide range of research and technology development relating to the use of New Zealand’s precious...
Helen leads Plant & Food Research’s Seafood Technologies portfolio, which covers a wide range of research and technology development relating to the use of New Zealand’s precious seafood resources. This passionate group of researchers works on everything from capture and production technologies, targeted breeding of fish species, through to maximising value from seafood resources and ensuring food safety.

The team work out of the Nelson Research Centre, a world-class facility equipped with labs, workshops, live finfish facility, and flume tank, and with a research vessel for working at Plant & Food Research’s consented marine spaces and within the wider marine environment.

Helen has an MSc in Marine Science and a background in aquaculture, from working both in industry and research organisations. She is excited by the opportunities that the blue economy offers to New Zealand, with responsible development being able to support social, cultural, environmental and economic aspirations.

Helen is enthusiastic about Moananui’s role in realising these opportunities through a collaborative and knowledgeable cluster of like-minded organisations.
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Fiona Wilson
Nelson Regional Development Agency
Fiona Wilson is the Chief Executive of the Nelson Regional Development Agency, the combined Economic Development Agency and Regional Tourism Organisation for the Nelson...
Fiona Wilson is the Chief Executive of the Nelson Regional Development Agency, the combined Economic Development Agency and Regional Tourism Organisation for the Nelson Tasman Region.

Originally from Wales, Fiona has over 25 years’ experience in regional, economic and tourism development, gained through a variety of roles within the public and private sectors, in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. With particular interest in strategic development and leveraging partnerships to achieve outcomes, her work has focused on supporting regional community economic growth, resilience, and recovery. She moved to New Zealand from Tasmania in 2021 to join NRDA.

Fiona’s governance roles include the Regional Skills Leadership Group for Nelson Tasman and Economic Development New Zealand.
Paul Miller
Kernohan Engineering
Dr Paul Miller is the CEO of Kernohan Engineering with a proven history of working in the mechanical engineering and manufacturing industry...
Dr Paul Miller is the CEO of Kernohan Engineering with a proven history of working in the mechanical engineering and manufacturing industry.

He graduated from the University of Canterbury with a PhD in physics in 2009. He then moved to Scotland with his wife to join a tech start-up developing innovative products for industrial applications.

After 11 years, and progressing to the role of Managing Director, Paul returned to New Zealand with his family.

He joined Kernohan Engineering in 2020, impressed by the strong and trusted brand they had built over five decades of business and the opportunity it provided to bridge the gap between science and engineering.

This goal drives Paul’s commitment to innovation, to Moananui and the opportunity it represents for the region’s economy and wellbeing.
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Volker Kuntzsch
Cawthron Institute
Growing up in arid Namibia and doing his M.Sc. in Zoology with a focus on the behavioural ecology of bat-eared foxes in South Africa, didn’t exactly set Volker up for an ocean-related career...
Growing up in arid Namibia and doing his M.Sc. in Zoology with a focus on the behavioural ecology of bat-eared foxes in South Africa, didn’t exactly set Volker up for an ocean-related career.
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However, life took an unforeseen turn, which kickstarted a journey that took him across five continents over 30 years, working for seafood companies around the globe. His roles have ranged from quality assurance and production management to leading organisations in Namibia, the USA and New Zealand. One of his proudest moments: as a fish buyer for Unilever in Europe, he worked with the New Zealand hoki fishery to attain Marine Stewardship Council certification ‒ the first major fishery in the world to do so.
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Volker’s leadership and commitment to the global seafood industry saw him receive the Intrafish Media Person of the Year Award in 2017 and the Rabobank Australasia Leadership Award in 2019.

His current role as CEO of Cawthron, New Zealand’s largest independent research institute, connects his professional background with his passion for the ocean. Cawthron applies world-class science and mātauranga Māori to bring about a better future for our aquatic environments and the communities that surround those.
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His six children limit Volker’s time for much else, but inspire him to promote the need and urgency to secure a desirable future through the blue economy wherever he can.
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MEET THE TEAM

Jodie Kuntzsch
Chief Executive
Jodie Kuntzsch has 20 years’ experience leading collaborative projects across the global seafood industry. Working across four continents and hundreds of marine farms, fishing vessels, seafood factories and businesses she thrives on bringing together diverse stakeholders with a common purpose. She has developed environmental and social sustainability programmes both in Aotearoa and around the world. Jodie spreads an infectious passion for the blue economy. She thrives on inspiring and nurturing the Moananui partnership to boldly lead the future of oceans development.
Sarah Cooper
Cluster Coordinator
Sarah comes to us with a background in communications, photography, and design. As a producer and account director she has worked with start-ups as well as some of New Zealand’s leading companies, helping develop their brands, marketing, and communications strategies. At Moananui, Sarah is the cluster co-ordinator and manager of all things HQ.  As someone who has a passion for sustainable ocean practices Sarah is energised by the genuine desire for action she sees from the Moananui partners. Her enthusiasm for fun is only equalled by her enthusiasm for everything Moananui achieves.
Moananui’s History
In 2019 local leaders in the Top of the South Island mapped an ambitious and visionary 500-year regional plan – the Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy, which highlighted the importance of the ocean to regional wellbeing and prosperity. At its heart was Tūpuna Pono – To Be Good Ancestors.
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