The newly formed Climate and Energy Finance Group, led by the Otago Business School’s Associate Prof Ivan Diaz-Rainey, has received $869,000 to explore to how increasing flood frequencies will affect property values in New Zealand coastal cities.
"This is an extremely important topic because 65% of the population in New Zealand live within 5km of the sea and 85% of individual wealth is concentrated in real estate,’’ Prof Diaz-Rainey said.
Flooding also had implications for the stability of our banks, given that more than 60% of the value of the four largest New Zealand banks’ loan portfolios involved housing, he said.
GNS Science geologist Dr Simon Cox, of Dunedin, has undertaken a recent study of South Dunedin hydrology, and had contributed to a pilot scheme for the main study.
The main study would also provide further insights into flood-related effects on property prices in parts of Dunedin.
Fourteen projects, led by researchers in the Otago commerce, health sciences, humanities and sciences divisions received grants ranging up to $960,000, and 16 researchers received Fast Start grants.
Vice-chancellor Prof Harlene Hayne said the 30 Otago grants were a significant achievement.
The Otago research ranged widely, from Prof Julia Horsfield's $960,000 for research into developmental diseases and cancers, to Prof Claire Freeman’s $729,000 to encourage urban planning that supports child-friendly futures.
In total, the Marsden Fund, which supports excellence in research, allocated $84.75million (excluding GST) for 134 research projects throughout the country.
Other Otago Marsden Grants ($960,000 unless otherwise stated): Dr Karl Iremonger, physiology; Prof Peter Fineran, microbiology & immunology; Dr Lynette Brownfield, biochemistry, $958,000; Dr Louise Bicknell, pathology, $959,000; Prof Julia Horsfield, pathology; Prof Martin Hazelton, statistics, $706,000; Dr H.G.L. Schwefel, physics, $899,000; Prof Martin Kennedy, pathology, $956,000; Prof Claire Freeman, geography, $729,000; Prof Anthony Kettle, pathology; Associate Prof C. Fraser, marine sciences; Associate Prof Joanna Kirman, microbiology & immunology; Prof Pauline Norris, Centre for Pacific Health, $870,000.
Fast Start, each $300,000. — Dr Kirsty Danielson, surgery; Dr Judith (Jude) Ball, public health; Dr Siew Hoong (Joe) Yip, anatomy; Dr Michelle Munro, physiology; Dr Dominic Searles, mathematics; Dr Karen Reader, pathology; Dr Jemma Geoghegan, microbiology & immunology; Dr K.O. Smiley, anatomy; Dr G.A. McCulloch, zoology; Dr K.J. Mitchell, zoology; Dr Erica Newman, Te Tumu; Dr L.A. Robertson, preventive and social medicine; Dr Htin Lin Aung, microbiology & immunology; Dr Karen Greig, archaeology; Dr Kimberley O'Sullivan, public health; Dr Romain Meyrand, physics.
