2025 WINNER OF TE PUIAKI KAIPŪTAIAO MAEA THE MACDIARMID EMERGING SCIENTIST PRIZE
Dr Luke Harrington, of The University of Waikato, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, has won the Prime Minister’s MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize for outstanding research on climate science.
Dr Harrington has studied the complex relationship between climate change and the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather events
He calculates the role of human-induced climate change in elevating the risk of extreme weather – and the resulting social impact and economic costs.
Producing evidence to inform policies in Aotearoa New Zealand and globally, his research enables adaptation plans to mitigate the risks from a warming climate – particularly for vulnerable communities.
Read media release about Luke’s prize
Dr Harrington leads the Climate Extremes and Societal Impacts research group at the University of Waikato. He has developed novel methods to quantify whether and to what extent an extreme weather event was made more intense or likely by human-induced climate change. He also predicts climate-related risks for communities, which includes quantifying how drivers of vulnerability – such as income inequality or population ageing – could affect the downstream impacts of climate change.
His research has shown, for the first time, how the world’s poorest countries experience the fastest relative changes in climate with any additional greenhouse gas emissions, primarily because these countries tend to be situated in lower latitude regions where human-induced warming is emerging most rapidly.
Dr Harrington has applied his methods to understanding risks for Aotearoa New Zealand, particularly in relation to droughts and heatwaves. His work on extreme heat led to the pilot of a heat-alert system with MetService, and to a stronger focus on heat-related risks in the recent National Adaptation Plan by the Ministry of Health.
His team adapts their communication to make it relevant and accessible for different groups, from central government to members of the public. They use a range of tools, from simple infographics to op-eds and face-to-face presentations.
