On 21 October 2025, the project team met with members of the Advisory Board in Christchurch for the first in a series of planned advisory discussions guiding this seafarer mobilities project. Attendees included Dr Maria Borovnik, Emeritus Professor Richard Bedford, Dr Charlotte Bedford, Dr Rose Namoori-Sinclair, and Dr Johanna Thomas-Maude.

The meeting offered a valuable opportunity to share recent milestones and reflect on the project’s progress to date. Data collection is now well underway across Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, and other international contexts, with interviews and surveys conducted with seafarers and representatives from national and global organisations in Europe, North America, and beyond.

Advisory Board members contributed thoughtful feedback and suggestions for the next stages of research, encouraging the continued exploration of deeper links between seafarer wellbeing, recognition, and mobility justice. Looking ahead, the team will continue expanding on research and dissemination activities, including further Advisory Board meetings, to help guide the analysis, publications, and policy engagement that will emerge from this work.

From left to right: Johanna Thomas-Maude, Rose Namoori-Sinclair, Maria Borovnik, Charlotte Bedford, and Richard Bedford