Working with Nature in Aotearoa New Zealand

This rich ethnography analyses coastal protection as a sociomaterial practice. Coastal protection, Friederike Gesing argues, coproduces natural and cultural orders. In the context of the Aotearoa New Zealand coast, it follows the emergence of a new sociotechnical imaginary: coastal management working »with nature« - and not against it. The analysis of a seawall controversy and of different coastal protection projects shows how »soft« protection slowly takes hold. Dune restoration volunteers, coastal management experts, surfer-scientists, and Maori conservationists engage in different practices of making coastal naturecultures: dune restoration as do-it-yourself erosion control, reconstructing native nature, or soft engineering »in concert with natural processes«.

Friederike Gesing (Dr.) is a cultural anthropologist of science, technology and nature, and co-founder of the Bremen NatureCultures Lab. She works at artec Sustainability Research Center, University of Bremen.