Enhancing Maritime Safety in the Pacific Islands: Pacific Regional Hydrography Initiative

The challenge

Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has a critical role in the safety and accuracy of coastal surveying and charting within New Zealand's maritime zones. As an extension of New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation Programme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) enlisted LINZ to spearhead a hydrographic programme across several Pacific Islands, including the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Phase 1 of this initiative was originally driven by the need to comply with the International Maritime Organization's new regulations, which are crucial for the thriving tourism cruise industry in Vanuatu. Following the success of Phase I, which established a solid foundation, MFAT sought to expand the initiative.

What we did

• In 2015, MFAT contracted Kirsty Burnett to design the expansion of the initiative, crafting a comprehensive business case to deepen engagement and broaden the project's scope.
• With a substantial NZD5 million contract, LINZ recognised the need for strategic support to align with MFAT's business processes. Kirsty was brought on board to develop detailed workplans, monitoring tools, and annual reports for accountability and transparency to MFAT.
• Kirsty collaborated closely with the Toitū Te Whenua team to define roles and responsibilities, carefully planning the resources required for each task across different countries. She also strengthened the project’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Results Framework by gathering essential baseline data, establishing robust data collection methods, and ensuring team members were adequately trained.
• In preparing for progress reports, Kirsty posed challenging questions to evaluate project indicators, targets, funding allocation, and skills adequacy among Pacific partners. The mid-point review by MFAT validated the effectiveness of the Results Framework, confirming it provided the necessary insights for informed decision-making.

Outcomes