Researcher Profile: Andrew Stolte, Senior Lecturer at University of Auckland
How strong are our stopbanks?
Many New Zealand communities rely on stopbanks to keep them safe from flooding, but how can we be confident they’ll perform as expected in an emergency?
Their efficacy largely depends on the soils from which they are built, which can vary greatly metre to metre - let alone along the thousands of kilometres of stopbanks around the country.
Dr Andrew Stolte, a geotechnical engineer and researcher at the University of Auckland, is helping uncover the soil structure of New Zealand’s stopbanks so that we can better predict how they’ll fare in an earthquake or flood. His work is contributing to an updated National Inventory of Stopbanks, building a clearer, more accessible picture of where stopbanks are located and how they are constructed.
Having this information early would help councils, communities and engineers make decisions about which stopbanks may need to be strengthened and when, ultimately improving the resilience of homes and infrastructure surrounding them.
As well as work on the ground, Andrew is developing fast and reliable methods to assess stopbanks, so engineers can apply these tools across the wider network and identify potential issues at scale.
Andrew is part of an NHC Toka Tū Ake-funded research programme led by Professor Liam Wotherspoon, focused on engineering for stronger homes and better land in Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme brings together researchers to improve how we understand natural hazards and their impact on communities, and to support better decisions about land use and infrastructure.
Growing up in the Mojave Desert, Andrew experienced earthquakes and flash flooding first-hand, and saw how good engineering can reduce risk. Now, he’s applying his own expertise to helping New Zealand communities better understand and strengthen their flood protection systems.
We interviewed Andrew for our monthly NHC Toka Tū Ake Researcher Profile series. Read on to learn more about Andrew’s research, what motivates his work, and his advice for the next generation of engineers.
What’s your NHC Toka Tū Ake-funded project in a nutshell, and why is it important to New Zealand?
Our NHC‑funded University Research Programme strengthens New Zealand’s resilience by improving how we characterise the land and structures that protect our homes. A key focus of my team’s work is the use of advanced geophysical and geotechnical methods to assess the condition of Aotearoa’s stopbanks.
Across the motu, more than 5000 km of stopbanks have been built to varying standards as communities have grown. In many places, we lack reliable information about the soils both beneath and comprising the stopbanks. Our research enables rapid assessment of existing stopbanks and helps identify where they may be vulnerable to flood or earthquake loading.
This work is vital because well‑understood, well‑performing stopbanks are essential to reducing flood risk for thousands of homes.
What’s your favourite part of being a researcher?
My favourite part of being a researcher is the chance to explore how our world works and push that understanding a little further. As a geotechnical engineer, I love applying analytical thinking and hard‑earned technical skills to complex problems that genuinely matter for our communities.
Civil engineering is ultimately about improving people’s lives, so I’m energised by research that has real‑world impact. That includes making our land safer, our infrastructure more resilient, and our decision‑making better informed.
As I grow in my research journey, I’ve come to especially value working with people, understanding their needs, and weaving their insights into the engineered solutions we create together.
What sparked your interest in studying natural hazards?
I grew up in the Mojave Desert, where the landscape itself sparked my curiosity. Hiking through sandstone canyons and mountains, I often wondered what forces shaped such dramatic terrain. I felt small earthquakes, saw rockfall on trails, and watched brief summer rainstorms trigger sudden flash floods across the dry, impermeable ground.
That curiosity led me to study Geological and Civil Engineering so I could understand the processes behind what I observed as a kind. I learned how faulting builds mountains, how soils behave, and why water moves the way it does in arid environments.
As my interest in the ground deepened, I moved into geotechnical site characterisation research, eventually bringing me to New Zealand to work in geotechnical earthquake engineering.
Why is it important to invest in natural hazards research like yours?
New Zealand sits on the boundary of two major tectonic plates and faces frequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity. Increasingly intense storms are driving landslides and flooding. These hazards are unavoidable, but their impacts on our communities don’t have to be.
Investing in natural hazards research is essential because it helps us understand the ground we build on and the vulnerabilities in our buildings, roads, bridges, and lifelines. Research provides the evidence we need to design resilient infrastructure, assess and strengthen existing buildings, and make informed, cost‑effective decisions at every scale, from individual homes to our communities to national planning.
Ultimately, investing in this work reduces long‑term risk, supports safer communities, and can save enormous recovery costs after future events.
Have you experienced the impacts of natural hazards first hand? How has it shaped your approach to research?
Yes, I’ve experienced natural hazards firsthand, and those moments have shaped how I think about risk and resilience. Near my childhood home, even light summer rain would inundate the streets. I watched engineers design retention ponds, drains, and culverts to reduce the impacts. The flooding hazard never disappeared entirely, but I learned early that good engineering can meaningfully reduce risk to communities.
I also felt small earthquakes growing up in the southwestern US, but I didn’t grasp the true scale of earthquake impacts until visiting Christchurch after the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. Seeing widespread damage to homes and livelihoods was confronting. It pushed me to focus my geotechnical research on practical ways to limit the consequences of future earthquakes and support safer, more resilient communities.
What’s a common misconception in your field that you want to clear up?
A common misconception is that geotechnical engineering offers simple, universal solutions for natural hazard problems. In reality, the soil and rock beneath our homes, roads, and workplaces, and the slopes surrounding our communities, are incredibly variable.
Geotechnical engineers work to understand the strength and behaviour of these materials so we can design safe, cost effective foundations and protect communities from hazards like landslides and earthquakes.
Because the ground changes so much from place to place, there is no one size fits all answer. What works on one site may be completely unsuitable just 100 metres away.
My research focuses on developing tools that help engineers characterise the ground more efficiently and reduce uncertainty when selecting design parameters, thereby leading to safer, more resilient outcomes.
What advice do you have for people who are interested in working with you/within your field?
Engineering solutions are driven by people who can think critically and creatively to solve complex problems, and that’s especially true in natural hazards research. As our analytical tools become more powerful, the real challenge is collecting high quality data and interpreting it thoughtfully, so our conclusions genuinely support good decisions.
If you’re interested in this field, embrace uncertainty and open ended questions. This is where the most meaningful discoveries happen. The colleagues I admire most are curious, persistent, and comfortable navigating ambiguity. These are the qualities I try to nurture in the students and young researchers who work with me, because they’re essential for developing solutions that improve resilience for our communities.
What do you like to do for fun outside of work/study?
I enjoy being outdoors and exploring my surroundings. Whether it is hiking through the native bush and up mountain trails to find the next stunning vantage point, or walking on the footpaths and urban trails to find an expertly crafted coffee, I like the fresh air and a chance to think outside the office.
In my spare time, I like to read. My favourite genres are fantasy and science fiction, exploring what could be and providing an escape.
Also, I love to cook. I’ve been refining my techniques and developing recipes for Chili (a spicy stew with beans and mince common in the southwestern US) and cornbread. I also enjoy exploring the flavours of so many cuisines found in New Zealand.