The Project Tongariro Memorial Award was established by the society in memory of Keith Maurice Blumhardt, William Edward Cooper, Douglas Neal McKenzie, Derek Ian White and Marie Pauline Williams, who died on Mt Ruapehu while testing helicopter rescue equipment on 9 December 1982.
The award is open to any applicant for study—for fauna, flora, geology, volcanology, meteorology, natural and human history of Tongariro National Park and World Heritage Site.
Since the inaugural award in 1991, young researchers have benefited from these awards enabling a wide range of research to be done in the Park. From heather, to bats, skinks, kiwi, stoats, to visitor stats, to geology, to lahars, to botany and climate change. An amazing legacy.
The amount shall be determined annually by Project Tongariro’s executive board and amounts awarded are up to $2,500. Applications for the Awards are accepted up until the end of September each year and are considered at an executive committee meeting in October. The society’s executive seeks independent advice from a representative with an overview of science in the Turangi/Tongariro Conservancy. Dr Harry Keys has assisted with this review since the awards began and continues to do so.
There is a set of criteria that we measurer your application on (see below) and we also ask that you provide us with a CV and an overview of your project and what you hope to achieve should you be successful.
Criteria includes;
Relevance to Project Tongariro’s vision, mission, goals and core values (these can be found on our website www.tongariro.org.nz)
Value to conservation management of Tongariro National Park
Value in terms of filling gaps in existing information
Threat of irretrievable loss
Feasibility and achievability of study
Ability to implement research findings
Value for money
Ability and reputation of the applicant
Recipients of awards are asked to acknowledge the society where possible in research publication such as a thesis. All recipients agree to send a copy of their work, including a thesis, to Project Tongariro and are encouraged to contribute a short article for the annual Tongariro Journal.
Note if no applicants meet the required standards in a particular year, an award will not be made.
Please contact Project Tongariro on info@tongariro.org.nz for more info and to apply.
Project Tongariro Memorial Award Recipients
2022
Amber Truter-Meyer Identification of Aspergillus fumigatus abundance and proportions in Tongariro National Park for the prevention of native species loss
Pedro Doll Ruapehu’s recent lava flows: Building towards a more resilient Tongariro National Park
Liam Bramwell Drumbeat Seismicity at Mt Ruapehu Investigated with Gas Geochemistry and Te Wai-ā-moe Crater Lake Temperatures
2018
Janina Gillies The hazards pyroclastic flows on Mt Ruapehu
2016
Elaine Smid Timescales of Ngauruhoe magma ascent and crustal contamination to improve volcanic hazard assessment
Simon Stewart Nitrogen food web interactions in Lake Taupo, New Zealand
2015
Stefan Cook For the Study of characterising the stability of the rock mass material at the outlet of the Crater Lake, Mt Ruapehu
2014
Matthew Dickson Research on the carbon storage sequestration in tussock grassland
2013
Eric Breard Pyroclastic density currents
Benjamin Simons Deposit character & eruption processes, Blue Lake crater
Chris Conway Magmatic & glaciovolcanic evolution, Ruapehu
Rebecca Fitzgerald Te Maari Eruptions 2012: Field and Experimental Assessments of Ballistic Block-fall Hazard
2012
James Cowlyn The significance of the Volcanic Phenomena; Pyroclastic Flows
Shaun Eves The Timing of Past Glaciation in Tongariro National Park
Jessie Prebble The Taxonomy of the rare tag-named entity, Myosotis aff. pygmaea “Volcanic Plateau”
Erin Hill Psychological and Health Benefits for Users of Tongariro National Park
2011
Kirsty Myron Pittosporum kirkii: autecology and conservation of an endemic epiphytic shrub
Yvonne Taura Research on the effects of willow and willow control on the wetland aquatic invertebrates
2010
Emma Phillip Forecasting the consequences of the failure of the eastern rim of Crater Lake, Ruapehu
Moniqua Nelson-Tunley Investigating the genetic dynamics of the small-scaled skink
2009
Natalia Pardo Physical volcanology of Mt Ruapehu and Mt Tongariro (understanding the physical controls of large scale explosive eruptions)
2008
Terry Blumhardt UK Search and Rescue methods to be used in Tongariro. Attended international SAR conference in Scotland
2007
Michael Dann A revision of the native ant species Monomorium antarcticum
2006
Anja Mobis The physical volcanology and hazards of pyroclastic eruptions from the Tongariro Volcanic Centre
Sascha Brocks Fantail breeding success after rodent control in the Karioi Rahui—a cost effective monitoring tool
2005
Tom Pauli Contemporary glacial retreat on Ruapehu
Maureen Coombe Public perception re: volcanic hazards on Tongariro Crossing
Elizabeth Liggin Phylogeography of common NZ skink
2004
Ruth Basher Physical volcanology of Te Maari Craters
Jessica Wallace Vertical flight activity of short-tailed bats (mystacina tuberculata) within beech and podocarp forest
2003
Elizabeth Grove Melicytus aff. Aplinus 'Rangipo'
Candice Bardsley Physical volcanology of Red Crater
2002
Joanna Mey Dactyllanthus Taylorii
Joanne Chizmar Volcanology of Tama Lakes
2001
Ben Miller The physical volcanology, petrology and geochemistry of the Wahianoa Valley, SE Ruapehu
Gillian Lockett The geology, volcanology and petrology of a pyroclastic fall deposit, Rangataua Member, South Ruapehu
2000
Ross Martin Stoat behaviour
Tristram Hayles The geology of the summit area, Ruapehu
1999
Michelle Prinscep & Paul Broady Study of Chemistry/Bacteria in Tongariro National Park waterways
Amy Trass Study of forest restoration in the Park (fruit dispersal & forest regeneration on the volcanic plateau)
1998
Anna Grant Post-release behaviour of captive-reared Kiwi
Gillian Rapson Forest-grassland dynamics, Mangaeheuheu Basin
1997
Ross Martin Kiwi-Stoat control research
1996
Vivienne Nichols Mangaturuturu lahars—from the study of beech stands
1995
Shane Cronin Volcanic stratigraphy in the north east sector of Tongariro National Park
Nick Monteith Studying glacial history of Mt Tongariro and Mt Ruapehu
1994
Charlotte Severne Geothermal investigations Tongariro—Waihi
Suzan Dopson Mistletoe
1992
Mark Horricks Palynology (pollen samples) of Gibson's Swamp
Mathew Ward Investigating visitors' perceptions of crowding in Tongariro National Park
Xiang Limin Plant climate Panautea
1991
Catherine Foster Heather