What a ride 2020 was. As well as the global upheaval I definitely had a lot of personal ups and downs (mostly research related!). After the smooth sailing first year of my PhD in 2019, everything that could possibly go wrong decided to go wrong during my 2020 field season. Which was, frankly, awful.

I’ve learned a lot though. That’s the whole point of a PhD. It’s meant to be challenging (although I could do without the challenge of the brand new $8000 tracking gear failing to work as the previous batch had…or even work at all….). Despite this, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of my fieldwork. Getting out to uninhabited islands, to spend days surrounded by wildlife is truly special. I love being able to catch little snippets of the joys of island life in my photographs.

Those of us in Aotearoa New Zealand are phenomenally lucky to be where we are. Reading the news from around the world everyday makes it abundantly clear just how fortunate we are right now.

Wherever you are, however 2020 has treated you, I wish you all the best for 2021. Let’s make it better, one little moment of joy at a time.