Dr Jonathan Procter is NZ's first Māori volcanologist and one of a very few Māori with a PhD in earth science. His work has taken him to volcanoes all over the world and here at home he's been busy with our own active volcanoes including White Island, Tongariro and Ruapehu.
A big part of Dr Procter's work includes developing applications and equipment to monitor volcanic activity in New Zealand and active volcanoes in Vanuatu.
Our reporter Iulia travelled with him to the volcanic monitoring stations on Ruapehu and along the Whangaehu River to find out more.