Waikato Business News | January 12, 2024

14 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS
JANUARY 2024
Director's Māori
roles recognised
Tania Te Rangingangana Simpson and Megan Balks have long-standing associations
with the University of Waikato. The women were both honoured in the New Year’s
Honours list and our staff reporters covered their backgrounds.
Tania Te Rangingangana Simpson
has been made an Officer of the
New Zealand Order of Merit for her
services to governance and Māori.
Simpson (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngā Puhi,
Ngāi Tahu) is a professional director
with more than 27 years’ experience in
governance encompassing a range of iwi,
not-for-profit, commercial and public
sector positions.
She was born in Ōtorohanga and lives
in Matangi and is one of three from The
News circulation area. The others are
Cambridge’s Peter Carr and Puketōtara
soil scientist Megan Balks.
Throughout her career Simpson has
focused on projects and roles aimed
at improving outcomes for Māori, iwi
development and recognising Māori
values within business.
She has specialised in roles focused
on the environment, sustainability
and climate change and has been
recognised with a range of awards for her
contributions to Māori business.
She was recognised in 2020 Waikato
University with a Distinguished Alumni
Award.
The award is given to a small
number of alumni who have achieved
significant success in their career and
made outstanding contributions to their
communities.
Simpson arrived at the university with
the intention of studying languages,
however realised early on that Māori
language and culture was the right
pathway for her.
She graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor
of Arts degree. She joined the Housing
Corporation the following year as Māori
advisory officer in Hamilton and then as
Te Kuiti office manager responsible for
effective management of tenancy and
lending portfolios in Ōtorohanga, Te
Kuiti and Te Awamutu.
Simpson is a director of Auckland
International Airport, Meridian Energy
and Tainui Group Holdings and has
chaired the Sustainable Seas National
Science Challenge since 2016.
It has funded several innovation
projects and development of a business
model to allow for the creation of
small whānau-owned aquaculture
farms.
She has been a member of the
governance group for the Deep
South National Science Challenge
since 2014, deputy chair of
Waitangi National Trust since
2017 and a member of the
Waitangi Tribunal since 2008.
Simpson is a past director of
Global Women, AgResearch,
Radio Maniapoto, Mighty
River Power/Mercury Energy
from 2001 to 2015, Landcare
Research, Ngāi Tahu Tourism
and the New Zealand
Conservation Authority. Ms
Simpson was the first Māori
director and a deputy chair
of the Reserve Bank of New
Zealand between 2014 and
2022.
• See Waikato Business News
February for full profile
Tania Te Rangingangana Simpson.
Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Antarctic scientist
returns to roots
Megan Balks of Waikato University works in -15 degree wind chill conditions in the Wright Valley, one
of Antarctic’s dry valleys. Balks’ team is drilling for ice core samples (pictured) that are believed to be
thousands of years old. Photo: Martin de Ruyter, Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection.
Megan Balks (pictured
right) has been
awarded the New
Zealand Antarctic Medal
for her services to Antarctic
soil science in the 2024 New
Years Honours list.
“It is really lovely, I don’t
necessarily feel like I deserve
to be singled out, in some
ways I feel it is far more than
I ever deserve,” she said.
Balks owns a small hill
country sheep farm at the
end of Pekanui Road, 18kms
south west of Pirongia
which includes over 20ha
of QEII covenanted forest.
From there, she pursues
her interests in wool crafts,
landscape art, photography
and geology.
She and her husband of 45
years, Errol, have lived there
for the past 16.
Balks says it is somewhat
of a return to her rural
roots, having grown up on a
Wairarapa sheep farm.
Balks completed a BSc
(Hons I) in Soil Science
at Massey University and
worked for three years
for DSIR Soil Bureau
undertaking soil surveys for
irrigation development in
Central Otago then moved
to the University of Waikato
where she was employed
as a “junior lecturer” and
completed her PhD on
“Impacts of meat works
effluent irrigation on soil
physical properties”.
In 1990, she joined other
soil scientists beginning
research into permafrost
and human environmental
impacts in Antarctica, going
on to complete 19 Antarctic
expeditions, 12 as field
leader.
Her most recent trip was
in 2016.
“Every one has been the
adventure of a lifetime,”
Balks told The News on
Tuesday. While the nature of
soil research and of itself is
specific and calculated, my
favourite aspect is absolutely
exploring the Antarctic
environment.
“Soil science is obviously
a very particular line of
work and those fantastic
experiences have led to
me having the wonderful
experience of making
lifelong friends from all over
the world.”
“Lots of people tend to
perhaps glamorise the
Antarctic environment,
and it is wonderful, but I
just love the outdoors so
walking something like the
Tongariro Alpine Crossing is
amazing too.
Balks’ inaugural 1990 trip,
she says, was possible thanks
Antarctic soil research
pioneers Drs Iain Campbell
and Graeme Claridge.
“They opened doors to
opportunities I could never
have dreamed of.”
Through this research,
a series of Antarctic
soil climate monitoring
stations were established
that contribute to an
international programme
to monitor the effects of
climate change in polar
regions.
Since retiring in 2018,
Balk has written an award
winning book on the soils
of Aotearoa New Zealand
and she has also served on
the Waikato Conservation
Board and the QEII National
Trust.