Robert McClean

Robert McClean is an Adjunct Teaching Fellow with Museum and Heritage Studies at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and a Principal Advisor for Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira based at Porirua. Robert has a background in historical geography and resource environmental planning at Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Waitangi Tribunal, Heritage NZ Pouhere Taonga, and the Ministry for the Environment. Robert completed a PhD from Te Herenga Waka in 2026, which focuses on the experience of Ngāti Toa Rangatira and cultural redress arising from the Treaty settlement and the environmental planning system. Robert specialises in the environmental history and cultural heritage of Porirua and Te Moana o Raukawa (Cook Strait).

Degrees

• PhD, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, 2026
• MPhil, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 1996
• BREP, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 1995

Fields of research

• Historical geography
• Environmental planning
• Treaty settlements
• Critical heritage and museum studies