John is a Principal Kaiwhakatere in the Beca Māori Advisory Business – Te Ahi Tūtata. With over 20 years of experience in a range of leadership roles. With a farming background close to climate impacts John remains as passionate as ever about weaving Te Ao Māori both into Beca’s culture and the projects Beca helps deliver. Of Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi and Pākeha descent John is an advocate of mātauranga alongside western based science models to meet the challenges of climate adaptation. For John mātauranga sits at the hapū, the Marae. It is with those people that live and breath an intrinsic understanding of adaptation with, and not in conflict with te Taiao. Once the expertise is acknowledged the powerful changes needed in our society can occur. John sits on the Beca NZ Ltd Board as a Director and on a number of external bodies and actively shares his thoughts and passion for industry growth in Te Ao Māori through podcasts and other forums.

Cushla is Beca's Business Director for Climate Risk and Resilience and a Technical Fellow of Climate Risk & Adaptation. Cushla has over 20 years of experience in strategic assessment, including assessing the current and potential future impacts of climate change across NZ, Australia and the Pacific. She is a Certified Environmental Practitioner of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, a Registered Environmental Impact Assessment Consultant with the Fiji Department of Environment and has completed the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Principles of engagement training. Cushla is passionate about holistic adaptation planning that incorporates diverse views.

Born in Aotearoa and of Samoan descent, Mino is pursuing a PhD at the Centre for Sustainability. Mino's research focuses on the societal impacts of climate change in Samoa, specifically exploring qualitative social science research and Indigenous approaches to understanding these impacts.

Roana has a background in Iwi economic development that meets the needs and aspirations of Iwi, hapu and whanau. She specialises in strategy development and implementation, and works within her own Iwi on education, business and environmental initiatives. She is a business award winner and a previous finalist in the New Zealander of the Year awards. Elva specialises in the development of indigenous-led, values-based frameworks, plans and strategies. Areas of specialty include freshwater and geothermal planning, land use sustainability, natural hazards and climate change, as well as spatial planning. She is the winner of multiple awards for indigenous-led plan writing.

Danian Singh is a PhD student at University of Auckland, focusing on traditional knowledge in disaster and climate change With experience in teaching, research, and policy development, he has contributed to marine conservation and food security projects. He has represented the Pacific Islands at global conferences, advocating for sustainability.

David Zvipore, an expert in climate adaptation and impact measurement, has 14+ years of experience in MEAL across Africa and Asia. He integrates Indigenous knowledge, digital monitoring, and participatory research to enhance climate resilience. His expertise spans climate-smart agriculture, disaster risk management, food security, and gender-inclusive adaptation strategies.

Dr Md Khalid Hossain is a Research Fellow at Monash University, Australia. He focuses on community informatics and environmental informatics with a strong interest in climate action and natural resources management through ICT.