Tom Fitzgerald is researching the management of coastal hazards, the governance of risk, and exploring how perceptions of risk acceptability may influence coastal management and planning decisions. He brings a broad range of experience to his PhD across a range of environmental management, town planning, policy analysis and development and coastal management positions in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The coast is in a constant state of flux. The most visible aspects of this change may be seen through the action of extreme hazards such as storms and cyclones, resulting in storm surges, flooding and erosion. In isolation, such events may not be so harmful, but with the increasing development of coastal communities, more and more people will be exposed to increasing risk. The main aim of Tom’s PhD is to uncover the unacceptable risk in changing coastal zones, through case studies of Collaroy-Narrabeen in Sydney and the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand. It also looks at the political side of the coastal risk equation.
Tom runs his own environmental consultancy business, the Coastal Management Collective, in New Zealand. He also works as a policy specialist in adaptation and risk at GNS Science.
