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Caroline Orchiston imageDirector

Mob +64 21 077 8888
Email caroline.orchiston@otago.ac.nz

Research background

Caroline’s interdisciplinary research background focusses on aspects of disaster risk reduction, resilience and recovery, community and business resilience, risk communication and scenario planning for impacts to critical infrastructure and emergency management during disasters. Her theoretical contributions relate to understanding the nexus between resilience and sustainability, where resilient communities are considered inherently more sustainable in the long term. Caroline has a passion for developing applied research outcomes that can make a difference to our society, particularly in building social capital through community and national networks and connections, and working at the grassroots with communities to build resilience.

Caroline’s research platform has been underpinned by collaborations with many outstanding postgraduate research students over her career to date. She thoroughly enjoys supervising students, and loves to observe their successes in life after their studies at the Centre for Sustainability.

Caroline is an Associate Director for QuakeCoRE (the New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence for Earthquake Resilience), and is co-lead for Disciplinary Theme 4 Social and Cultural Factors shaping Resilience. She was formerly the Co-lead of the Disaster Resilient Rural Communities programme (2019–2024) with Professor Tom Wilson (University of Canterbury) and subsequently Professor Christine Kenney (Massey University) as part of Resilience to Nature’s Challenges (2014–2024).

In 2023, Caroline had success with 5-year Endeavour programme funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. She is the co-lead of Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke – Building resilience to earthquake sequences in the Transition Zone  (2024–2028), with Associate Professor Jamie Howarth (Victoria University Wellington). This programme will deliver an interdisciplinary perspective towards understanding the potential for future earthquake sequences in the plate boundary transition zone across central New Zealand, and the future risk reduction trajectories and pathways for communities, iwi, local and central government.

As Science Lead for the award-winning AF8 programme from 2016–2023, Caroline worked with a wide team of Alpine Fault scientists and emergency management practitioners and policy-makers to improve New Zealand’s capability to respond and recover from a future magnitude 8 earthquake on the Alpine Fault. The AF8 programme has made a significant contribution to supporting awareness and preparedness in high-risk communities, and developing risk understanding and planning amongst regional and national emergency managers and their partner agencies. Building strong networks across communities, emergency response agencies and research institutions is key to developing societal resilience to natural hazards. Caroline considers her involvement in AF8 as a career highlight, and continues to support the programme alongside the new AF8 Science Lead Dr Tom Robinson (University of Canterbury) and AF8 Programme Manager Alice Lake-Hammond.

Current and recent projects

  • QuakeCoRE (2016–present)
    Co-lead of a national programme investigating the social and cultural factors shaping resilience, with Associate Professor Julia Becker (Massey University)
  • Ngā Ngaru Wakapuke – Building resilience to future earthquake sequences on the Transition Zone. Co-lead a team of 35 researchers across New Zealand, with Associate Professor Jamie Howarth, Victoria University of Wellington
    Scenario and storyline development of credible earthquake sequences
    Business resilience and recovery during on-going disruption
  • Resilience to Nature’s Challenges  (2014–2024), with Professor Tom Wilson and Professor Christine Kenney
    Co-led a team of 6 researchers and many PhD students, investigating Disaster Resilient Rural Communities in New Zealand
  • AF8 (Alpine Fault magnitude 8) (2016–present)
  • Lower Seismic Hazard Zones in southern New Zealand, with Professor Mark Stirling, Geology Department. Funded by Toka Tu Ake Natural Hazards Commission to investigate relevant local government legislation and its implementation in lower seismic hazard zones
  • Community awareness and preparedness for future natural hazard events, Washington State, USA . Multiple visits between 2009–2024, with the late Distinguished Professor David Johnston (Director, Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Massey University
  • Resilience and sustainability in the tourism context: Conceptual dimensions. With Distinguished Professor James Higham (Griffith University) and Associate Professor Stephen Espiner (Lincoln University)

Supervision

Current PhD students

  • Jenny Stein (2025–) Public education for disaster preparedness (Massey University, co-supervisor). Toka Tū Ake Natural Hazards Commission scholarship
  • Pawita Chumkliang (2025–) Blood supply in the aftermath of disasters, Funded by Chulabhorn Royal Academy scholarship (Thailand)
  • Ellen Ozark (2024–) Using narrative change theory in communication
  • Niloofar Dini (2024–) Transport networks and their role in community resilience during and after disruptive events
  • Aiggan Tamene Kitila (2024–) Earthquake preparedness and injury prevention in New Zealand workplaces
  • Caelan Church (2023–) A New Direction: Opportunities for National Guidance on Natural Hazard Management during RMA reform
  • Kathryn Wright (2023–) Rural community connection, resilience and over-forestation
  • Caroline Rowe (2023–) Exploring AF8’s use of science communication towards improving readiness for Alpine Fault earthquake disasters
  • Marufa Akther (March 2021–) Lower Seismic Hazard zones – implications of current legislation towards reducing building risk

Recent postgraduate students

  • Mathew Darling (PhD, 2024) Assessing Transient Populations Exposure to Disaster Risk (University of Canterbury).
  • Emma Stagg (Master of Planning, 2024) – rural community resilience to natural hazards
  • Lucia Danzi, (PhD, 2024) Tourism and emergency management. Fully funded Resilience to Nature’s Challenges scholarship
  • Sonja Mueller, (PhD, 2024) Community and local knowledge of water-driven hazards. University of Otago scholarship
  • Rajan Chandra Ghosh, (PhD, 2023) Climate-Induced Migration and Sustainability: A Spatial Analysis of Urban New Zealand. University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship
  • Caroline Cech (Master of Planning, 2023) – rural community resilience to natural hazards. Fully funded Resilience to Nature’s Challenges Masters scholarship
  • Maisie Fisher (Master of Planning, 2023) – rural community resilience to natural hazards. Fully funded Resilience to Nature’s Challenges Masters scholarship
  • Jamie MacKenzie (Master of Arts, 2022) Community engagement and resilience in Glenorchy: Dynamic Adaptive Pathways Planning in complex, changing environments. Fully funded Resilience to Nature’s Challenges Masters scholarship
  • Shakti Shrestha (PhD, 2022) – Wellington Cordon baseline project. Fully funded QuakeCoRE Scholarship.
  • David Wither (PhD, 2021) – Social norms of resilience in Kaikoura post-earthquake disaster. Fully funded Resilience to Nature’s Challenges scholarship
  • Nancy Brown (PhD, 2018) Disaster resilience in New Zealand’s hotel sector. Funded by a Massey University Postgraduate Scholarship (Massey University)
  • Sara McBride (PhD, 2016) The Canterbury Tales: Learnings from the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence in New Zealand to inform public education design for other lower seismic hazard zones (Massey University)
  • Tom Robinson (PhD, 2014) Assessment of co-seismic landsliding from an Alpine Fault earthquake scenario, New Zealand. Fully funded by a Canterbury University Postgraduate Scholarship (Canterbury University)

Significant publications

Higham, J.E.S., Hopkins, D. and Orchiston, C. (2022). Academic aeromobility in the Global periphery (Chapter 8) in K. Bjørkdahl, A. S. Franco Duharte (eds.), Academic Flying and the Means of Communication,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4911-0_8

Espiner, S., Higham, J.E.S., & Orchiston, C. (2019). Superseding sustainability: Conceptualising sustainability and resilience in response to the new challenges of tourism development (Chapter 3). In S.F. McCool, & K. Bosak (Eds.) A research agenda for sustainable tourism. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

Shrestha, S., Orchiston, C., Elwood, K., Johnston, D., Becker, J and Tomassi, I. (2022). Understanding the wider social and economic context of post-earthquake cordons: a comparative study between Christchurch, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and L’Aquila, Italy. Earthquake Spectra DOI: 10.1177/87552930221091593

Ghosh, R. C., & Orchiston, C. (2022). A systematic review of climate migration research: gaps in existing literature. SN Social Sciences, DOI 10.1007/s43545-022-00341-8

Ghosh, R. C., Orchiston, C. and Mallick, B. (2022). Climate migration studies in the Pacific (CMSP) – a bibliometric analysis. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2022.100132

Ghosh, R. C., & Orchiston, C. (2021). Climate-induced Migration in the Pacific: The Role of New Zealand. Impact Connector: Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation, and Impact Assessment: Views from the Pacific. https://www.nzaia.org.nz/ghoshandorchiston.html

Brown, N. A., Feldmann-Jensen, S. Rovins, J. Orchiston, C. and Johnston, D. (2021). Exploring disaster resilience within the hotel sector: A case study of Wellington and Hawke's Bay New Zealand, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102080

Wither, D., Orchiston, C., Cradock-Henry, N. & Nel, E. (2021). Advancing practical applications of resilience in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Ecology and Society. 26(3):1.
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12409-260301

Shrestha, S. Orchiston, C., Elwood, K., Johnston, J. & Becker, J. (2021). To cordon or not to cordon: the inherent complexities of post-earthquake cordoning learned from Christchurch and Wellington experiences. Bulletin of the New Zealand Society of Earthquake Engineering.

Underwood, G., Orchiston, C. and Shrestha, S. (2020). Post-earthquake cordons and their implications. Earthquake Spectra. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755293020936293

Publications

Kitila, A. T., Lilley, R., Orchiston, C., & Davie, G. (2025). Workplace guidance for earthquake preparedness and injury prevention in Aotearoa-New Zealand: A document analysis. New Zealand Journal of Health & Safety Practice, 2(1). doi: 10.26686/nzjhsp.v2i1.9758 Journal - Research Article

Rowe, C., Orchiston, C., & Medvecky, F. (2025). Walking the faultline of fear: How affect-inducing risk communication can help promote disaster preparedness. Journal of Science Communication, 24(6), A02. doi: 10.22323/148720250710190719 Journal - Research Article

Darling, M. J., Robinson, T. R., Adams, B., Wilson, T. M., & Orchiston, C. (2025). Minutes matter for life safety and risk exposure in Milford Sound, New Zealand. Scientific Reports, 15, 36459. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-22101-3 Journal - Research Article

Danzi, L., Orchiston, C., Higham, J., & Baggio, R. (2025). Formation and development of tourism disaster management networks: From preparedness to response. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2025.2575089 Journal - Research Article

Danzi, L., Orchiston, C., & Higham, J. (2025). Effectiveness and sustainability of collaborative networks in tourism disaster management. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 129, 105775. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105775 Journal - Research Article

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