Research Associate Professor Caroline Orchiston, Our people, Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago, New Zealand

Caroline Orchiston image Director

Tel +64 3 479 9244
Mob +64 21 077 8888
Email caroline.orchiston@otago.ac.nz

Research background
Current and recent projects
Supervision
Significant publications
Publications

Research background

Caroline’s background in both earth and social sciences involves research on aspects of tourism disaster resilience and recovery, community and business resilience, and scenario planning for impacts to critical infrastructure and emergency management during earthquake disasters. Her PhD and Postdoctoral research investigated tourism in areas of high seismic risk (Southern Alps and Canterbury, New Zealand), focussing on pre-disaster planning and preparedness (Alpine Fault zone) and post-disaster impacts and recovery amongst tourism enterprises and stakeholders (Canterbury earthquake sequence). Since 2010, Caroline has also been involved in a longitudinal study of community preparedness and awareness to natural hazards in Washington State, USA in collaboration with GNS Science, Washington State Emergency Management and the United States Geological Survey. She is an Affiliate Researcher at both the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (Massey Wellington and GNS Science) and Resilient Organisations (Christchurch).

Caroline joined the Centre in March 2016 as a Research Fellow involved in Resilience to Nature’s Challenges (National Science Challenge). This 10-year research programme focusses on building a more resilient New Zealand by transforming how we prepare for and mitigate against rapid (earthquakes, floods) and slow onset (climate change-related) disasters. Caroline is Co-lead of the Rural programme, with Professor Tom Wilson (University of Canterbury). More information about the Rural programme and Resilience to Nature’s Challenges can be found here: Resilience to Nature's Challenges

Caroline is an Associate Director for QuakeCoRE, the New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience, and is also co-lead for Disciplinary Theme 4 Social and Cultural Factors shaping Resilience.

As Science Lead for AF8 [Alpine Fault magnitude 8], Caroline works with a wide team of Alpine Fault scientists and emergency management practitioners to improve the way New Zealand will respond and recover from a future magnitude 8 earthquake on the Alpine Fault. The lessons learned from this work programme can also be applied to a range of other disruptive events, because building strong networks in communities, response agencies and Universities is key to societal resilience.

Caroline’s passion is for applied research that makes a different to our society, particularly in building social capital through networks and connections, and working with communities to build resilience.

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Current and recent projects

Resilience to Nature’s Challenges
QuakeCoRE
Project AF8 [Alpine Fault magnitude 8]
Community awareness and preparedness for future natural hazard events, Washington State, USA.
Resilience and sustainability in the tourism context: a conceptual discussion.
Toka Tu Ake Earthquake Commission funding to investigate critical local government legislation issues in lower seismic hazard zones.

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Supervision

Current masters' students

Caelan Church (2022). Planning for Disaster: How can Planning Instruments be Used to Improve Resilience to Earthquake Hazards?
Jamie MacKenzie (2022). Community engagement and resilience in Glenorchy: Dynamic Adaptive Pathways Planning in complex, changing environments.
Moriah Osborne (2020). Tourism operator preparedness and resilience in the Southern Alps. Fully funded QuakeCoRE scholarship.
Caroline Cech (Master of Planning, 2023) – rural community resilience to natural hazards.
Maisie Fisher (Master of Planning, 2023) – rural community resilience to natural hazards

Current PhD students

Marufa Akther (March 2021-). Lower Seismic Hazard zones - implications of current legislation towards reducing building risk.
Lucia Danzi (2020-). Tourism and emergency management. Resilience to Nature’s Challenges scholarship.
Sonja Mueller (2019- ). Community and local knowledge of water-driven hazards. University of Otago scholarship.
Rajan Chandra Ghosh, (2018-). Climate-Induced Migration and Sustainability: A Spatial Analysis of Urban New Zealand. University of Otago Scholarship.
Mathew Darling, (August 2018-). Assessing Transient Populations Exposure to Disaster Risk. (University of Canterbury)

Recent postgraduate students

Shakti Shrestha (2022) – Wellington Cordon baseline project. QuakeCoRE (NZ Centre for Research Excellence) Scholarship
David Wither (2021) – Social norms of resilience in Kaikoura post-earthquake disaster. Resilience to Nature’s Challenges scholarship

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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

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Publications

Wither, D., Orchiston, C., & Nel, E. (2023). Using the Living Standards Framework to analyse the drivers of social resilience in a disaster management context. Policy Quarterly, 19(1), 58-66. doi: 10.26686/pq.v19i1.8106

Lake-Hammond, A., & Orchiston, C. (2022). Sharing the science beneath our feet: Preparing for the next Alpine Fault earthquake. In A. V. Zernack & J. Palmer (Eds.), Geoscience Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publication. 161A, (pp. 159). Wellington, New Zealand: Geoscience Society of New Zealand. [Abstract]

Shrestha, S. R., Orchiston, C. H. R., Elwood, K. J., Johnston, D. M., Becker, J. S., & Tomassi, I. (2022). Understanding the wider social and economic context of post-earthquake cordons: A comparative case study between Christchurch, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and L’Aquila, Italy. Earthquake Spectra. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/87552930221091593

Ghosh, R. C., & Orchiston, C. (2022). A systematic review of climate migration research: Gaps in existing literature. SN Social Sciences, 2, 47. doi: 10.1007/s43545-022-00341-8

Ghosh, R. C., Orchiston, C., & Mallick, B. (2022). Climate migration studies in the Pacific (CMSP): A bibliometric analysis. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability, 4, 100132. doi: 10.1016/j.crsust.2022.100132

Higham, J., Hopkins, D., & Orchiston, C. (2022). Academic aeromobility in the global periphery. In K. Bjørkdahl & A. S. Franco Duharte (Eds.), Academic flying and the means of communication. (pp. 185-206). Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-4911-0_8

Chapter in Book - Research

Espiner, S., Higham, J., & Orchiston, C. (2019). Superseding sustainability: Conceptualising sustainability and resilience in response to the new challenges of tourism development. In S. F. McCool & K. Bosak (Eds.), A research agenda for sustainable tourism. (pp. 21-38). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. doi: 10.4337/9781788117104

Chapter in Book - Research

Orchiston, C., & Espiner, S. (2018). Fast and slow resilience in the New Zealand tourism industry. In A. A. Lew & J. M. Cheer (Eds.), Tourism resilience and adaptation to environmental change: Definitions and frameworks. (pp. 250-266). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Chapter in Book - Research

Prayag, G., & Orchiston, C. (2016). Earthquake impacts, mitigation, and organisational resilience of business sectors in Canterbury. In C. M. Hall, S. Malinen, R. Vasslamber & R. Wordsworth (Eds.), Business and post-disaster management: Business, organisational and consumer resilience and the Christchurch earthquakes. (pp. 97-117). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315640211

Chapter in Book - Research

Journal - Research Article

Ghosh, R. C., & Orchiston, C. (2022). A systematic review of climate migration research: Gaps in existing literature. SN Social Sciences, 2, 47. doi: 10.1007/s43545-022-00341-8

Journal - Research Article

Brown, N. A., Feldmann-Jensen, S., Rovins, J. E., Orchiston, C., & 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, 55, 102080. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102080

Journal - Research Article

Shrestha, S. R., Orchiston, C. H. R., Elwood, K. J., Johnston, D. M., & Becker, J. S. (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 for Earthquake Engineering, 54(1), 40-48. doi: 10.5459/bnzsee.54.1.40-48

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

Cohen, S., Hanna, P., Higham, J., Hopkins, D., & Orchiston, C. (2020). Gender discourses in academic mobility. Gender, Work & Organization, 27, 149-165. doi: 10.1111/gwao.12413

Journal - Research Article

Cubrinovski, M., Bradley, B. A., Elwood, K. J., Johnston, D., Orchiston, C., Sullivan, T., & Wotherspoon, L. M. (2020). Wellington’s earthquake resilience: Lessons from the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. Earthquake Spectra, 36(3), 1448-1484. doi: 10.1177/8755293020919426

Journal - Research Article

Doyle, E. E. H., Lambie, E., Orchiston, C., Becker, J. S., McLaren, L., Johnston, D., & Leonard, G. (2020). Citizen science as a catalyst for community resilience building: A two-phase tsunami case study. Australasian Journal of Disaster & Trauma Studies, 24(1), 23-49. Retrieved from http://trauma.massey.ac.nz/issues/2020-1/AJDTS_24_1_Doyle.pdf

Journal - Research Article

Prayag, G., Spector, S., Orchiston, C., & Chowdhury, M. (2020). Psychological resilience, organizational resilience and life satisfaction in tourism firms: Insights from the Canterbury earthquakes. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(10), 1216-1233. doi: 10.1080/13683500.2019.1607832

Journal - Research Article

Stephenson, J., Barth, J., Bond, S., Diprose, G., Orchiston, C., Simon, K., & Thomas, A. (2020). Engaging with communities for climate change adaptation: Introducing community development for adaptation. Policy Quarterly, 16(2), 35-40. doi: 10.26686/pq.v16i2.6480

Journal - Research Article

Underwood, G., Orchiston, C., & Shrestha, S. R. (2020). Post-earthquake cordons and their implications. Earthquake Spectra, 36(4), 1743-1768. doi: 10.1177/8755293020936293

Journal - Research Article

Brown, N. A., Rovins, J. E., Feldmann-Jensen, S., Orchiston, C., & Johnston, D. (2019). Measuring disaster resilience within the hotel sector: An exploratory survey of Wellington and Hawke's Bay, New Zealand hotel staff and managers. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 33, 108-121. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.09.014

Journal - Research Article

Brown, N. A., Rovins, J. E., Orchiston, C., Feldmann-Jensen, S., & Johnston, D. (2019). Disaster resilience in Wellington’s hotel sector: Research update and summary. Australasian Journal of Disaster & Trauma Studies, 23(2), 77-81. Retrieved from http://trauma.massey.ac.nz/issues/2019-2/AJDTS_23_2_Brown3.pdf

Journal - Research Article

Chowdhury, M., Prayag, G., Orchiston, C., & Spector, S. (2019). Postdisaster social capital, adaptive resilience and business performance of tourism organizations in Christchurch, New Zealand. Journal of Travel Research, 58(7), 1209-1226. doi: 10.1177/0047287518794319

Journal - Research Article

Higham, J. E. S., Hopkins, D., & Orchiston, C. (2019). The work-sociology of academic aeromobility at remote institutions. Mobilities, 14(5), 612-631. doi: 10.1080/17450101.2019.1589727

Journal - Research Article

Hopkins, D., Higham, J., Orchiston, C., & Duncan, T. (2019). Practising academic mobilities: Bodies, networks and institutional rhythms. Geographical Journal, 185(4), 472-484. doi: 10.1111/geoj.12301

Journal - Research Article

Spector, S., Cradock-Henry, N. A., Beaven, S., & Orchiston, C. (2019). Characterising rural resilience in Aotearoa-New Zealand: A systematic review. Regional Environmental Change, 19(2), 543-557. doi: 10.1007/s10113-018-1418-3

Journal - Research Article

Brown, N. A., Orchiston, C., Rovins, J. E., Feldmann-Jensen, S., & Johnston, D. (2018). An integrative framework for investigating disaster resilience within the hotel sector. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management, 36, 67-75. doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.07.004

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C., Mitchell, J., Wilson, T., Langridge, R., Davies, T., Bradley, B., … McKay, A. (2018). Project AF8: Developing a coordinated, multi-agency response plan for a future great Alpine Fault earthquake. New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics, 61(3), 389-402. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2018.1455716

Journal - Research Article

Prayag, G., Chowdhury, M., Spector, S., & Orchiston, C. (2018). Organizational resilience and financial performance [Research note]. Annals of Tourism Research, 73, 193-196. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2018.06.006

Journal - Research Article

Robinson, T. R., Rosser, N. J., Davies, T. R. H., Wilson, T. M., & Orchiston, C. (2018). Near-real-time modeling of landslide impacts to inform rapid response: An example from the 2016 Kaikōura, New Zealand, earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 108(3B), 1665-1682. doi: 10.1785/0120170234

Journal - Research Article

Vallis, S., Gálvez, F., Swidan, M., Orchiston, C., & Ingham, J. (2018). Classical temples and industrial stores: Survey analysis of historic unreinforced masonry (URM) precincts to inform urban seismic risk mitigation. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 12(7-8), 1276-1296. doi: 10.1080/15583058.2018.1503372

Journal - Research Article

Brown, N. A., Rovins, J. E., Feldmann, S., Orchiston, C., & Johnston, D. (2017). Exploring disaster resilience within the hotel sector: A systematic review of literature. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 22, 362-370. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.02.005

Journal - Research Article

Espiner, S., Orchiston, C., & Higham, J. (2017). Resilience and sustainability: A complementary relationship? Towards a practical conceptual model for the sustainability–resilience nexus in tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(10), 1385-1400. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2017.1281929

Journal - Research Article

Stevenson, J. R., Becker, J., Cradock-Henry, N., Johal, S., Johnston, D., Orchiston, C., & Seville, E. (2017). Economic and social reconnaissance: Kaikōura earthquake 2016. Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, 50(2), 343-351.

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C., & Higham, J. E. S. (2016). Knowledge management and tourism recovery (de)marketing: The Christchurch earthquakes 2010-2011. Current Issues in Tourism, 19(1), 64-84. doi: 10.1080/13683500.2014.990424

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C., Prayag, G., & Brown, C. (2016). Organizational resilience in the tourism sector. Annals of Tourism Research, 56, 145-148. doi: 10.1016/j.annals.2015.11.002

Journal - Research Article

Robinson, T. R., Davies, T. R. H., Wilson, T. M., & Orchiston, C. (2016). Coseismic landsliding estimates for an Alpine Fault earthquake and the consequences for erosion of the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Geomorphology, 263, 71-86. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.03.033

Journal - Research Article

Robinson, T. R., Davies, T. R. H., Wilson, T. M., Orchiston, C., & Barth, N. (2016). Evaluation of coseismic landslide hazard on the proposed Haast-Hollyford Highway, South Island, New Zealand. Georisk, 10(2), 146-163. doi: 10.1080/17499518.2015.1077974

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C., Seville, E., & Vargo, J. (2014). Regional and sub-sector impacts of the Canterbury earthquake sequence for tourism businesses. Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 29(4), 32-37.

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C. (2013). Tourism business preparedness, resilience and disaster planning in a region of high seismic risk: The case of the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Current Issues in Tourism, 16(5), 477-494. doi: 10.1080/13683500.2012.741115

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C., Manuel, C., Coomer, M., Becker, J., & Johnston, D. (2013). The 2009 New Zealand West Coast ShakeOut: Improving earthquake preparedness in a region of high seismic risk. Australasian Journal of Disaster & Trauma Studies, 2013(2), 55-61. Retrieved from http://trauma.massey.ac.nz/index.html

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C. (2012). Seismic risk scenario planning and sustainable tourism management: Christchurch and the Alpine Fault zone, South Island, New Zealand. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20(1), 59-79. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2011.617827

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C. (2009). Natural hazard monitoring in New Zealand: Implications for tourist safety. Pacific News, 31, 11-14.

Journal - Research Article

Orchiston, C. (2006). Profiling changes in the supply side of marine tourism in New Zealand: A spatiotemporal analysis. Tourism in Marine Environments, 2(2), 79-88.

Journal - Research Article

Ghosh, R., & Orchiston, C. (2021). Climate-induced migration in the Pacific: The role of New Zealand. Impact Connector, 11. Retrieved from https://www.nzaia.org.nz/ghoshandorchiston.html

Journal - Research Other

Vinnell, L. J., Orchiston, C., Becker, J., & Johnston, D. (2019). Pathways to earthquake resilience: Learning from past events. Australasian Journal of Disaster & Trauma Studies, 23(2), 35-40. Retrieved from http://trauma.massey.ac.nz/issues/2019-2/AJDTS_23_2_Editorial.pdf

Journal - Research Other

Upton, P., Cochran, U., Orchiston, C., Howarth, J., Pettinga, J., & Townend, J. (2018). Tercentenary of the 1717 AD Alpine Fault earthquake: Advances in science and understanding hazards. New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics, 61(3), 247-250. doi: 10.1080/00288306.2018.1512389

Journal - Research Other

Orchiston, C., Vargo, J., & Seville, E. (2013). Insurance in the tourism sector after the Canterbury earthquakes [Feature]. Journal (Australian & New Zealand Institute of Insurance & Finance), 36(4), 20-23.

Journal - Research Other

Orchiston, C., Smith, N., Brown, C., Harvey, E., & Kim, J. H. (2017). Economic consequences of disruptive events on the tourism industry: The case of the Canterbury earthquake sequence. In C. Lee, S. Filep, J. N. Albrecht & W. J. L. Coetzee (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Annual Conference. (pp. 649-652). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Tourism, University of Otago. [Full Paper]

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Orchiston, C., Smith, N., Brown, C., Harvey, E., & Kim, J. H. (2017). Fast and slow resilience of tourism organisations in the New Zealand tourism sector. In C. Lee, S. Filep, J. N. Albrecht & W. J. L. Coetzee (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Annual Conference. (pp. 653-656). Dunedin, New Zealand: Department of Tourism, University of Otago. [Full Paper]

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Johnston, D. M., Orchiston, C., Weaver, C., Becker, J., McBride, S., Paton, D., … Wilson, T. M. (2012). "Low risk does not equal no risk": Understanding barriers to earthquake risk reduction in low seismic hazard areas. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) Conference: Implementing Lessons Learnt. Retrieved from http://www.nzsee.org.nz/

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Ghosh, R. C., & Orchiston, C. (2021). Social impacts of climate-induced migration in receiving community: An exploratory study. Proceedings of the Institute of Australian Geographers (IAG) & New Zealand Geographical Society (NZGS) Combined Conference. Retrieved from https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/news-and-events/events/iagnzgs2021-conference.html

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

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