My practical surveying experience includes work in Australia, the UK, Egypt, and Nelson as a survey technician with a NZ Certificate of Land Surveying. In 1993 I arrived in Dunedin to complete a BSurv, and I got hooked on Dunedin and on the academic life. I obtained my MSurv in 1996 and came on board at the School teaching Land Law, Land Administration and Land Tenure. My teaching and research also includes a focus on Māori land issues, sustainable land use, and water, river and sea rights and boundary issues. My PhD thesis was completed in 2008 looking at Indigenous people's rights in rivers – a Ngai Tahu and Siksika (Canadian First Nation Band) comparison study. My interests include rowing, cycling, travelling, sailing, gardening and reading.
Mick is also a member of the Coastal People: Southern Skies collaboration that connects communities with world-leading, cross-discipline research to rebuild coastal ecosystems. Coastal People: Southern Skies
Projects
Subsurface property, 3D cadastre
Boundaries and Coastal erosion in the face of climate change
Property and title to rivers, lakes and the sea
Property boundaries, other cadastral issues.
Supervision
Masters (MSurv)
Nicola Trott - (co-supervisor with David Goodwin) - Te Awa Tupua Whanganui settlement legislation
Recent Honours dissertation (SURV490/590) students
Devon Allen - Restrictive covenants
James Berghan – (co-supervisor with David Goodwin) – Striking a Balance: cultural and productive uses of Māori land
Julian Thom - Subsurface rights in tunnels
Michael Lister - Property rights in informal occupation sites
Awarded the Fulton Medallion A-2 by the NZIS in recognition of a published paper of interest to the profession.
Memberships
Member of Survey and Spatial New Zealand S+SNZS
Member of NZ Coastal Society - Organising Committee for 2016 NZCS Conference
NZIS Research Committee
NZIS Publications/ Editorial Board
Publications
Strack, M. (2020). The order is rapidly fadin': Responding to the impact of climate change on property with reference to the Aotearoa New Zealand context. Journal of Property, Planning & Environmental Law, 12(1), 19-34. doi: 10.1108/JPPEL-03-2019-0007
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2019). Reconfiguring land and property: What is a subdivision? New Zealand Surveyor, 305(August), 1-29.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M., & Scott, A. (2019). Making room for rivers. New Zealand Journal of Environmental Law, 23, 249-274.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2019). First contacts in the South Pacific: Cook and Tupaia. New Zealand Surveyor, 305(December), 17-42.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M., Shephard, K., Jowett, T., Mogford, S., Skeaff, S., & Mirosa, M. (2019). Monitoring surveying students' environmental attitudes as they experience higher education in New Zealand. Survey Review, 51(366), 257-264. doi: 10.1080/00396265.2017.1399526
Journal - Research Article
Coutts, B. J., & Strack, M. S. (2019). Is there still a (land) surveying profession? Survey Review, 51(366), 244-249. doi: 10.1080/00396265.2017.1416730
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M., & Goodwin, D. (2018). More than a mere shadow? The colonial agenda of recent treaty settlements. Waikato Law Review, 25, 41-58.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2018). Natural boundaries, legal definitions: Making room for rivers. In M. Strack, N. Wheen, B. Lovelock & A. Carr (Eds.), Riverscapes: Research essays on the social context of southern catchments of Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 65-80). Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago.
Chapter in Book - Research
Strack, M., Wheen, N., Lovelock, B., & Carr, A. (Eds.). (2018). Riverscapes: Research essays on the social context of southern catchments of Aotearoa New Zealand. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago, 102p.
Edited Book - Research
Strack, M. (2018). Introduction. In M. Strack, N. Wheen, B. Lovelock & A. Carr (Eds.), Riverscapes: Research essays on the social context of southern catchments of Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 1-6). Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago.
Chapter in Book - Research
Strack, M., & Goodwin, D. (2018, April). The Crown and Rangatiratanga: A persistent colonial agenda in Treaty settlements? Verbal presentation at the Crown Property Forum: The Crown Estate: Challenges, Opportunities and Our Responses, Wellington, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Strack, M. (2018, May). New tenure arrangements are changing Māori interests in land and water: Surveyors take heed. Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) 129th Conference, Nelson, New Zealand.
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Innes, S., Shephard, K., Furnari, M., Harraway, J., Jowett, T., Lovelock, B., Strack, M., & Skeaff, S. (2018). Greening the curriculum to foster environmental literacy in tertiary students studying human nutrition. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 13(2), 192-204. doi: 10.1080/19320248.2016.1255693
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2017). Land and rivers can own themselves. International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, 9(1), 4-17. doi: 10.1108/IJLBE-10-2016-0016
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2017). Draw conclusions on the wall: Defence of the monumented cadastre. Australian Property Law Journal, 26(1), 1-23.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2017). Sustainable coastal development: Protect or retreat? WIT Transactions on The Built Environment, 170, 63-72. doi: 10.2495/CC170071
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2017). “Teachers teach that knowledge waits”: But what knowledge? Connecting technical training and professional education. New Zealand Surveyor, 304, 2-25.
Journal - Research Article
Goodwin, D., & Strack, M. (2017). Tenuous foundations: Historical lessons for modern land agreements. New Zealand Surveyor, 304, 2-28.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M., & Davies, N. (2017). A fee stratum title to a lake: Does it make sense? Surveying+Spatial, (91), 19-21.
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Strack, M. (2016). Before it is washed to the sea? Coastal development and erosion. Civil Engineering Surveyor, July/August, 34-39.
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Strack, M. (2016). Before it is washed to the sea? Coastal development and erosion. Proceedings of the FIG Working Week: Recovery from Disaster. Retrieved from https://www.fig.net/fig2016/proceedings.htm
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Shephard, K., Harraway, J., Lovelock, B., Mirosa, M., Skeaff, S., Slooten, L., Strack, M., Furnari, M., Jowett, T., & Deaker, L. (2015). Seeking learning outcomes appropriate for 'education for sustainable development' and for higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(6), 855-866. doi: 10.1080/02602938.2015.1009871
Journal - Research Article
Shephard, K., Harraway, J., Jowett, T., Lovelock, B., Skeaff, S., Slooten, L., Strack, M., & Furnari, M. (2015). Longitudinal analysis of the environmental attitudes of university students. Environmental Education Research, 21(6), 805-820. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2014.913126
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2014). 'They'll be drownded in the tide': Reconsidering coastal boundaries in the face of sea-level rise. Geography Research Forum, 34, 23-39.
Journal - Research Article
Jowett, T., Harraway, J., Lovelock, B., Skeaff, S., Slooten, L., Strack, M., & Shephard, K. (2014). Multinomial-regression modeling of the environmental attitudes of higher education students based on the Revised New Ecological Paradigm Scale. Journal of Environmental Education, 45(1), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/00958964.2013.783777
Journal - Research Article
Shephard, K., Harraway, J., Lovelock, B., Skeaff, S., Slooten, L., Strack, M., Furnari, M., & Jowett, T. (2014). Is the environmental literacy of university students measurable? Environmental Education Research, 20(4), 476-495. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2013.816268
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (Ed.). (2013). Survey marks. Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Surveying, University of Otago & the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors, 206p.
Edited Book - Research
Strack, M. (2013). Watching the river flow: The law, rights and ownership of rivers in New Zealand. New Zealand Surveyor, 302, 28-35.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2013). Our relationship with the land. In M. Strack (Ed.), Survey marks. (pp. 111-116). Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Surveying, University of Otago & the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors.
Chapter in Book - Research
Strack, M. (2013). Surveyors, Māori land and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In M. Strack (Ed.), Survey marks. (pp. 95-99). Dunedin, New Zealand: School of Surveying, University of Otago & the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors.
Chapter in Book - Research
Strack, M., Jowett, T., Shephard, K., & Harraway, J. (2013). What impact do higher-education experiences have on the environmental attitudes of surveying students? New Zealand Surveyor, 302, 36-42.
Journal - Research Article
Berghan, J., Goodwin, D., & Strack, M. (2013). Striking a balance: Balancing cultural and productive uses of Māori freehold land. New Zealand Surveyor, 302, 4-12.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. S. (2013). Conflicts on the coast. Proceedings of the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE) Conference: Management of Land and Sea Resources: What's New? [USB Memory Stick] [Abstract]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Denys, P., Strack, M., Moore, A. B., & Whigham, P. (Eds.). (2013). Proceedings of the 125th New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) Annual Conference and the Spatial Information Research Centre New Zealand (SIRC NZ) GIS and Remote Sensing Research Conference: Celebrating the Past: Redefining the Future. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Institute of Surveyors. 225p.
Conference Contribution - Edited volume of conference proceedings
Shephard, K., Harraway, J., Lovelock, B., Skeaff, S., Slooten, L., Strack, M., & Jowett, T. (2012). Monitoring changes in the sustainability attributes of higher education students in a New Zealand university. In W. L. Filho (Ed.), Sustainable development at universities: New horizons. (pp. 117-126). Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang.
Chapter in Book - Research
Coutts, B. J., & Strack, M. S. (2012). Surveying education at the New Zealand National School of Surveying. Survey Review, 44(324), 53-58. doi: 10.1179/1752270611y.0000000002
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2011). Bounding the land: Cadastral framework on the Taieri. In J. Ruru, J. Stephenson & M. Abbott (Eds.), Making our place: Exploring land-use tensions in Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 101-114). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Strack, M. (2011). Preparing for the invasion: Retreat from the coast. Proceedings of the Surveying & Spatial Sciences Biennial Conference. (pp. 385-393). Rotorua, New Zealand: Scion. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Strack, M. (2011). Using and stopping unformed legal roads. New Zealand Surveyor, 301, 11-14.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2010). Property loss due to coastal erosion: Judicial, legislative and policy interventions. Proceedings of the Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference (COBRA) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. [USB Memory Stick] London: RICS. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Strack, M. (2010). Coastal erosion and property rights in New Zealand [Case study]. In I. Boateng (Ed.), Spatial planning in coastal regions: Facing the impacts of climate change. (pp. 43-44). Copenhagen, Denmark: International Federation of Surveyors.
Chapter in Book - Research
Strack, M. (2010). Property rights for a new world: Adapting to an ethic of sustainability. Proceedings of the XXIV FIG International Congress: Facing the challenges: Building the capacity. (pp. 1-18). Retrieved from http://www.fig.net/pub/fig2010/techprog.htm
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Coutts, B. J., & Strack, M. S. (2010). Surveying by degrees: Educating New Zealand surveyors. Proceedings of the FIG Commission 2 Symposium: Workshop on trends in surveying education and training. [CD-ROM] International Federation of Surveyors. [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Strack, M., & Jeffery, E. (2009). Access to landlocked Maori land. New Zealand Surveyor, 299, 31-35.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2009). Lines on the land. New Zealand Surveyor, 299, 14-23.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. S. (2008). Rebel rivers: An investigation into the River Rights of Indigenous People of Canada and New Zealand (PhD). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. 226p.
Awarded Doctoral Degree
Strack, M. (2006). Maori land loss: A study of the process of alientation - The Taieri Native Reserve. New Zealand Surveyor, 296, 13-19.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2005). Back to the land: Walking access to the outdoors. New Zealand Surveyor, 295, 18-25.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. (2004). Customary title over the foreshore and seabed of Aotearoa: A property rights perspective. Trans Tasman Surveyor, (6), 44-51.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. S. (2004). Rethinking property rights in New Zealand. Proceedings of the FIG Working Week 2004: The Olympic Spirit in Surveying. [CD-ROM] [Full Paper]
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Strack, M. (2004). Access, navigation and property rights in the foreshore and seabed. Survey Quarterly, (39), 37-39.
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Bedford, L., & Strack, M. (2004). Catching the sea breeze: Offshore wind farms. Survey Quarterly, (37), 6-7.
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Bedford, L., & Strack, M. (2004). The legal and administrative frameworks for offshore windfarms in New Zealand. New Zealand Surveyor, (294), 31-36.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. S., & Rosie, D. P. (2001). Maori land: Kicking around the football. New Zealand Surveyor, 291, 15-19.
Journal - Research Article
Strack, M. S., & Chisholm, C. E. (2001). Ownership or control of our rivers. Butterworths Resource Management Bulletin, 4(5), 52-56.
Journal - Research Article
