Kiely McFarlane

A Little About Me

I am an environmental geographer interested in the social and environmental outcomes of freshwater policy, management, and governance.
I completed a MSc in geography at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) in 2012, examining how urban stream protections were secured through greenfield planning and judicial processes. Building on my interests in urban environmental management, I spent time working for Auckland Council's Research Investigations and Monitoring Unit, before heading to Vancouver, Canada.
I recently completed a PhD in resources, environment and sustainability at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. My PhD explored the development, early implementation, and exclusions of BC's new Water Sustainability Act (2014), highlighting how security for water users had been prioritised over reforms to address environmental justice and sustainability.
I am now fortunate to be a postdoctoral researcher at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, New Zealand, and part of a large interdisciplinary team of researchers working to understand and improve the health of New Zealand's lakes.