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Ngā Tangata o te Marama
Simon Lambert
Tūhoe, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana
Chief Scientist | Te Tira Whakamātaki & Hono
When the ground shook beneath Ōtautahi in 2011, Dr Simon Lambert was there – not as a distant academic, but as a father, neighbour, and whānau member living through the chaos and grief. The devastation that followed wasn’t just physical—it exposed deep fractures in the way disasters were understood and managed in Aotearoa. As Simon moved between helping his own community and listening to others who were struggling, one truth became painfully clear: the official response frameworks barely recognised Māori. Our stories, solutions, and strengths were missing.
That realisation changed the course of his life. It shifted his research from Māori horticulture and environmental management to disasters, from observation to transformation, from documenting impacts to building tools that uplift Māori leadership in the face of environmental crises. It wasn’t just a pivot in his career; it was a reclaiming of responsibility.
Since that time, Simon has become one of the most respected voices in Indigenous-led disaster risk reduction research. His work has taken him across the globe, from wildfire-hit First Nations territories in Canada to volcano-affected communities in Guatemala, training Indigenous groups in emergency response, designing culturally grounded recovery strategies, and advocating for systems change at the UN. But his anchor has always remained here, in Aotearoa, with his people.
Get to know Simon, the Chief Scientist for TTW and Hono, below.
Simon’s journey has never followed a straight institutional path. In 2017, as Lincoln University underwent yet-another restructure and his position was disestablished, he took the opportunity to move overseas, accepting a senior academic post at the University of Saskatchewan. It was the right time for a new challenge, and for his whānau, a chance to experience the world. While abroad, he led several research initiatives, many of which focused on community resilience to extreme weather. He also collaborated with the Red Cross to develop Indigenous preparedness training.
On returning to Aotearoa, Simon didn’t rush back into university life. Instead, he chose to reconnect—to whenua, to whānau, to his own iwi and hapū. He accepted a fixed-term role as Chief Science Advisor Māori at the Ministry for the Environment, a space where he could learn how policy is shaped from the inside, and bring a Māori lens to national environmental decision-making. It was valuable work, and it deepened his understanding of the machinery of government. But it was a fixed-term role, and with a new government that wasn’t sold on either science or Māori, it was always going to come to an end. Simon has since rejoined Te Tira Whakamātaki and is helping to build Hono, the Māori Emergency Management Network. This has been timely for Simon because he knew it was time to return to where his heart—and his responsibilities—lay, with whānau Māori.
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As Chief Scientist for both TTW and Hono, Simon now works at the intersection of mātauranga, science, and action. His approach is unapologetically Indigenous. He champions tikanga and whanaungatanga as essential tools in emergency management. He speaks often of the power of marae, of kura-based disaster education, and of Māori networks that move faster and with more care than many state agencies when disaster strikes. During Cyclone Gabrielle, for example, it was iwi like Ngāti Porou that led coordinated relief efforts long before central systems kicked in. Simon doesn’t just study this work—he supports it, amplifies it, and helps ensure it is recognised, resourced, and respected.
Simon’s role is far more than academic. He is an advocate, strategist, and tireless connector. Whether online or kanohi ki te kanohi, much of his time is spent in hui and wānanga—speaking up for Māori rights and responsibilities in biosecurity, conservation, and emergency management. He works closely with hapū and iwi, with policy makers, and with other researchers to challenge dominant narratives, bridge systemic gaps, and centre Māori-led solutions. His lived experience—growing up around whānau who bore the brunt of overlapping environmental and social disruptions—continues to shape his worldview. For Simon, colonisation is an ongoing disaster. It is this understanding that has led him to champion trauma-informed methodologies and culturally grounded policy development in all his work.
Simon has published extensively on Indigenous approaches to environmental governance and resilience, and has presented this mahi across the motu and internationally. At the heart of all his work is a commitment to Indigenous justice—restoring and reasserting mātauranga Māori in decision-making processes that affect whenua, wai and whānau.
This is not easy terrain to walk. Some have questioned his place in the disaster science landscape—particularly those holding tightly to outdated, institutional models of knowledge. Simon’s path has never been about titles or institutional patch protection. It has always been about relationships, kaupapa, and impact. He is aware of the criticism and whispers, and has felt the quiet gatekeeping that has often sidelined kaupapa Māori researchers in Aotearoa. Years ago, when trying to contribute to the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges National Science Challenge, Simon found the door closed to those who didn’t fit a very narrow mould. Rather than force his way in, he chose to keep working in ways that honoured his values and to work on building better things—outside the walls but rooted firmly in the future.
Now, through Hono and TTW, he’s helping to rebuild the disaster management system from the ground up—one where Māori lead, not follow. Where rangatahi are trained in natural hazard awareness and community response. Where Indigenous knowledges are seen not as cultural ‘extras’ but as central to building resilience. Where decisions about managed retreat or climate adaptation are made with, not for, Māori.
For Simon, this is about more than preparedness. It’s about justice. It’s about correcting the imbalance that has left too many communities unprotected, unheard, and underfunded. And it’s about vision—about imagining a future in which Indigenous wisdom leads globally, not just locally.
“Disaster response isn’t just logistics, it’s about people. It’s about understanding. And it’s about imagining something better.”
Simon Lambert
Simon believes the future of emergency management lies not just in science and logistics, but in creativity, connection, and courage. He encourages rangatahi to explore the intersections between mātauranga and science, between whenua and data. To bring innovation and imagination into the space. He sees art, film, storytelling, and design as critical tools in helping communities make sense of disruption—and envision something better.
“Disaster response isn’t just logistics,” he says. “It’s about people. It’s about understanding. And it’s about imagining something better.”
For Simon, that imagination is grounded in hope—hope that Indigenous peoples will continue to lead when disaster strikes, and hope that the rest of the country will recognise and support that leadership.
His message to the next generation is simple and hopeful: there’s a place for everyone in this work. Whether your skills lie in logistics or law, storytelling or search and rescue, our communities need you. Disaster response isn’t just about sandbags and sirens—it’s about understanding, creativity, and collective care. Every skillset has value!
Mahia te mahi – do the work that needs to be done so our people are safe.
Afterall that’s exactly what he’s doing.