Associate Professor Paul Kayes is Academic Registrar and Director of Te Whare Taiao – Institute of Indigenous Science at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. He has responsibility for implementing the Institute’s strategic plan and through that working with iwi especially in areas such as marine biology and customary fishing. He has developed a range of new science programmes at Awanuiārangi. Previously Paul was Head of the Applied Sciences School at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. In 2005 he received the Award for Excellence from the Polytechnic for establishing the Pacific Coast Research Centre.

He is Principal Investigator on the Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga project  An investigation into the fisheries resources and interests of iwi, hapū and marae within Tauranga Moana and the impacts caused by the grounding of the CV Rena.