{"id":7270,"date":"2025-04-04T13:14:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T00:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/?page_id=7270"},"modified":"2026-08-05T11:11:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T22:11:48","slug":"keynote-speakers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/keynote-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Keynote Speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Keynote 1: Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff, a veterinarian in wildlife conservation and former head of Conservation and Research at Auckland Zoo. Why Conservation Medicine is also Conversation<\/em>\u00a0Medicine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Conservation Medicine is also Conversation\u00a0Medicine<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re still in the early stages of understanding the ecology of disease in wild animals and the connections between the health of people, other animals, and the environment. Conservation Medicine addresses these interconnections. The only way it can do that is through collaboration. I\u2019ll aim to illustrate this with the story of two microscopic parasites found in kiwi. Both threatened the highly successful Operation Nest Egg kiwi conservation programme, and one also threatened Aotearoa\u2019s beef and dairy industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Richard:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been lucky enough to work with wild animals since I left school aged 16. First as a zookeeper and later as a zoo and wildlife veterinarian and researcher. I\u2019m now retired but during my 30 years at Auckland Zoo I found my collaborations with the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Primary Industries, Unitec and others the most rewarding. In response to a growing demand for advice and information about wildlife health I led the development of the Zoo\u2019s hospital, research and teaching facility, the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM). I describe myself as a lifelong student in Mother Nature\u2019s classroom because there\u2019s so much she has yet to teach us. I look forward to sharing some of my insights with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keynote 2: Jo Aley, a Unitec Bachelor of Applied Science graduate and social scientist in human behaviour change, working with Auckland Council.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The human side of biodiversity management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What social and behavioural science can teach us about lasting change<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biodiversity management is often seen as a challenge of protecting species and ecosystems. But at its heart, conservation is about people \u2013 the choices we make, the values we hold, and the systems that shape how we interact with the natural world. This keynote explores how social and behavioural science has been used to support conservation outcomes. Drawing on my research spanning behaviour change, audience segmentation, and virtual reality, among other innovative approaches, it demonstrates how understanding the human dimensions of biodiversity management can improve conservation efforts. By integrating an understanding of people into biodiversity management, social and behavioural science offers powerful tools for lasting change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joanne is a graduate of Unitec where she completed a double major in Biodiversity and Animal Welfare Management. She went on to earn a Postgraduate Diploma in Biosecurity Management and a Master of Science from the University of Auckland. Joanne previously worked as a Social and Behavioural Scientist at Department of Conservation and is now Principal Social Scientist – Climate Action at Auckland Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keynote 1: Dr Richard Jakob-Hoff, a veterinarian in wildlife conservation and former head of Conservation and Research at Auckland Zoo. Why Conservation Medicine is also Conversation\u00a0Medicine. Why Conservation Medicine is also Conversation\u00a0Medicine We\u2019re still in the early stages of understanding… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7270","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7270"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8081,"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7270\/revisions\/8081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unitec.ac.nz\/epress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}