Kia ora, I'm Annika (pronounced "any-car")
She was Head of Programmes Discovery at BLAKE NZ, sharing her passion with thousands of Kiwis to their marine environment. Her interests in design, communication and the aquatic environment have led to integrating scientific exploration with visual storytelling to enhance knowledge and understanding of the ocean to a broader public consciousness. After two and a half years, the NZ-VR programme taught over 40,000 students across the North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Annika holds a Master of Architecture degree with First Class Honours, where her thesis investigated the role architecture plays on the connection people have with their environment. During her studies, Annika worked as a dive instructor for Dive Tutukaka, an aquarist at Kelly Tarltons Aquarium, hiking guide for Active Adventures and was the President of the Auckland University Underwater Club. She has volunteered for Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust, Experiencing Marine Reserves, Ghost Diving New Zealand and the Cancer Society.
In 2016, Annika was selected as the Blake Antarctic Ambassador working alongside BLAKE, Antarctica New Zealand and the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Team down in Antarctica working on Sir Edmund Hillary's TAE Hut at Scott Base.
Annika was awarded Westpac New Zealand Women of Influence Youth Award for 2019 and has been selected as the first ever Global Underwater Explorers NextGen Scholar. In 2021, Annika become one of the Girls that Scuba Ambassadors, the largest global community of female scuba divers.
Using her natural enthusiasm and infectious personality, Annika hopes to educate others to understand and cherish our unique environment to better protect it for the years to come.
Annika holds a Master of Architecture degree with First Class Honours, where her thesis investigated the role architecture plays on the connection people have with their environment. During her studies, Annika worked as a dive instructor for Dive Tutukaka, an aquarist at Kelly Tarltons Aquarium, hiking guide for Active Adventures and was the President of the Auckland University Underwater Club. She has volunteered for Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust, Experiencing Marine Reserves, Ghost Diving New Zealand and the Cancer Society.
In 2016, Annika was selected as the Blake Antarctic Ambassador working alongside BLAKE, Antarctica New Zealand and the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Team down in Antarctica working on Sir Edmund Hillary's TAE Hut at Scott Base.
Annika was awarded Westpac New Zealand Women of Influence Youth Award for 2019 and has been selected as the first ever Global Underwater Explorers NextGen Scholar. In 2021, Annika become one of the Girls that Scuba Ambassadors, the largest global community of female scuba divers.
Using her natural enthusiasm and infectious personality, Annika hopes to educate others to understand and cherish our unique environment to better protect it for the years to come.
Achievements |
2022 True Young Explorer Scholarship Heritage Expeditions
2021 Girls that Scuba Ambassador 2020 Selected as one of the Y25 Wāhine Toa YWCA 2019 Inaugural Global Underwater Explorers NextGen Scholar 2019 Women of Influence Youth Award 2016 Sir Peter Blake Antarctic Ambassador |
Media |
SCUBA DIVING
InDepth Magazine - Meet GUE’s NextGen Scholarship Winner InDepth Magazine - Where have all the young divers gone? New Zealand Underwater Magazine - The NextGen Global Scholarship recipient was awarded to one of our own ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION Stuff - Artists spend 500 hours painting tiny plankton on 1.8m whale tail sculpture Parnell Article - Annika Andresen and Bhakti Patel - 'From the Tiny to the Mighty' The Spinoff Article - These 25 Young New Zealand Women are Changing the World Britomart Exhibition - Meet 12 Incredible Finalists For the 2019 Westpac Women of Influence Awards Westpac REDnews - Meet the environmental educator who uses virtual reality to teach kids about the ocean. YWCA Wahine Wednesday Q&A - Combining a love for design, environment and marine life with skill and passion ANTARCTICA The Herald - Student helps preserve Hillary's Antarctic legacy |
Writing |
SCUBA DIVING
InDepth Magazine - Becoming a Technical Diver: My Dive into GUE's Tech 1 InDepth Magazine - Jumping into the Deep End InDepth Magazine - Returning to Diving after a Concussion TRAVEL Suitcase Magazine - Annika Andresen's Insider Guide to Poor Knights, New Zealand |
Presentations
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PRESENTATIONS
2021 - TecFest Speaker - Taupo 2019 Hauraki Gulf Forum, Session 5 - A Call to Action - Visiting the Moana in Virtual Reality PODCAST Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose - Annika Andresen BLAKE NZ RADIO Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan - 25 Young Women under 25: Annika Andresen |
