Introducing Dr Antony Vavia
Ant is a marine scientist and a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science, having been appointed through Eke Tangaroa, starting in September 2023. He completed his doctoral research studying coastal fisheries in Mitiaro, an outer island and his ancestral home in the Cook Islands, about 250 km from Rarotonga. His thesis examination was completed in April 2024 and he crossed the stage at the August 2024 graduation.
Ant’s academic voyage (so far . . .)
As a teenager Ant had a serious career talk with his father, who encouraged him to think more deeply about his future. Marine biology was his suggestion, which shaped Ant’s senior years at Onehunga High School, where he received an AUT Marine Biology scholarship to undertake his first year of BSc study. That was when Ant met Dr Armagan Sabetian, who attended to present the award, years later becoming his primary doctoral supervisor.
When the time came to decide on a doctoral topic, Dr Sabetian was there to offer support and encouragement. Ant knew he wanted to carry out his doctoral research ‘at home’ in Mitiaro, as a way for him to contribute to the scientific knowledge specific to his own people. The chance to learn more of his ancestral language and knowledge was an added incentive. Dr Sabetian accompanied Ant to Mitiaro on a reconnaissance of a couple of weeks, staying in a relative’s vacant house, which was crucial to developing his research plan.
Ant moved to live in Mitiaro and undertake his empirical data collection in Nov 2019, a few months before the start of the epidemic, and spent 18 months there in total, immersed in the small island community and its life, as well as a few months in Rarotonga transcribing his data. Covid-19 held up his progress once he returned to AUT, because he was unable to obtain the specialist chemicals he needed to analyse his samples. Ant wrote his thesis by publication, and in addition to the science chapters, included a chapter on Mitiaro culture and indigenous fish-related knowledge.
In 2017, Ant had the chance to attend the United Nations Ocean Conference as a youth delegate, and since then his international networks in ocean-related groups and conferences have continued to expand. Only recently has he started to appreciate the full significance of the opportunities he’s had so far to be part of global conversations about the health of the Pacific Ocean.
The voyage to FestPac
The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, known as FestPac, was held in Hawai’i from 6-16 June 2024, with the theme of Regenerating Oceania - Ho’oulu Lāhui.
In April 2024, Ant flew to Rarotonga to join a crew of 16 on the ocean-going vaka Te Marumaru Atua, sailing the outward leg from Rarotonga direct to Hawai’i in 23 days, arriving at the start of June in time for the opening of the Festival. This sail was operated by Cook Islands Voyaging Society and Te Puna Marama Voyaging Foundation. The voyage was an amazing opportunity for an unmissable experience. Navigating the ocean depths, totally reliant on the traditional knowledge of vaka, and on each other as crew, was a life-changing adventure.
Almost predictably, the onboard satellite internet link failed, which made Ant’s job as media person difficult. All the fresh food was gone after the first four days and the crew kept going on canned food and peanut butter, until they caught a yellow-fin tuna, which they ate until sick of it. The website has daily blogs of life aboard the vaka and more information about the crew and the voyage. After the festival, Ant flew straight back to work at AUT.
From the end of October 2024, Ant begins an exciting new phase of his career when he takes up a cross-appointment, with his time and work split between AUT and Te Puna Vai Marama Cook Islands Centre for Research, based in the Avarua campus of USP. He may not know what the long term future holds, but it will include staying close to the ocean and vaka, which mean so much to him as a scientist as well as a child of Te Moana Nui o Kiva.
