The Trust is excited to announce the expedition team headed to the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2026.
Eliza McCracken (23)
Eliza is a full-time crew member (Mate) aboard the sail training ship Spirit of New Zealand, where she shares her passion for exploration and the environment with rangatahi (youth) across Aotearoa New Zealand. Holding a Skipper’s Coastal Offshore Ticket and a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Geography, she thrives on teaching and learning through the challenges of the natural world while appreciating the beauty and processes that shape it. Growing up in North Canterbury, with the Southern Alps and Waimakariri River nearby, fostered Eliza’s love for the outdoors and for staying active through tramping, surfing, and basketball. Always seeking new challenges, she has completed a 21-day Outward Bound course and tramped the remote Southern Circuit on Stewart Island.
Eliza is excited to voyage across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula, sailing the path of early Antarctic explorers. She looks forward to sharing her experiences and those of her fellow explorers with rangatahi onboard Spirit of New Zealand, inspiring others to stay curious and explore the amazing world around them.
Josiah Tualamali’i (30)
Josiah Tualamali’i is an Ōtautahi Christchurch-based historian, board member, mental health, youth and community wellbeing leader. He began his journey with the Pacific Youth Leadership and Transformation (PYLAT) programme at 14, later becoming its chair at 18. Alongside Benji Timu he co-led the youth support campaign backing the Polynesian Panthers Party Legacy Trust call for a Dawn Raids apology (2021). Together Benji and Josiah have produced two documentaries “How We Made It to 50 Years” (2022) and “Tautoko the Panthers” (2025), previewed at the Niu Dawn Festival. He completed his MA in History with Distinction at University in Canterbury in 2025. His dissertation is about his great-grandmother, Charlotte Leslie: Private Citizen and Unintentional Public Figure.
Josiah’s passion for Antarctica — sparked by connections of his school to explorers like Scott and Shackleton—has been influential on who he is, coupled with family love for history. Josiah sees this experience as an opportunity to better understand the connections and responsibilities Ōtautahi Christchurch and Aotearoa have with Antarctica. He is excited to bring his Pacific heritage, history training, advocacy background and polar interests to amplify what he learns alongside this team.
Libby Manning (24)
Libby works as a guide and educator at the Royal Albatross Centre, advocating for historical and ecological conservation. From an early age, she has been eager to share her passion for wildlife and support ecological conservation. Growing up in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), she found volunteering as a zoo guide at Auckland Zoo the perfect outlet for her skills.
Since moving to Ōtepoti (Dunedin) in 2019, she has graduated with a Masters of Wildlife Management and enjoys the privilege of living in such close proximity to nature. Keen to leave the world a better place, Libby regularly volunteers for ecological organisations and has been a campaign manager for the misunderstood tarāpunga (red-billed gull) in Aotearoa New Zealand’s annual Bird of the Year competition for the last two years.
Libby sees the expedition as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put herself in the shoes of early Antarctic explorers, sailing to unknown locations while completely immersed in the raw, natural world. She hopes to use this experience to further her advocacy, inspire future conservationists, and brush up on her pirate lingo.
Margot Martin-Babin (28)
Margot is a bilingual and bicultural French-Kiwi, lucky enough to be born in Te Matau a Māui (Hawkes Bay) and do most of her growing up in beautiful Te Waiharakeke (Blenheim). Now based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), she works in the public health sector where she gets to put her three biggest passions: people, health, and writing to good use.
Driven by the desire to make positive change, Margot loves to use stories and data together to enable evidence-informed practice and continuous improvement in the health system, so that Aotearoa New Zealand’s diverse communities can thrive.
In her spare time, Margot is also an avid adventurer, foodie, and outdoorswoman who loves to connect with nature. She is slowly but surely ticking various countries, experiences, and Great Walks off her bucket list. Margot brings her passion for people and storytelling to the expedition. Guided by the belief that great writing can connect readers to experiences far beyond their own, she hopes to help the team share their journey to one of the most extraordinary places on earth.
Matthew Lynch (26)
Matt’s interest in Antarctic expeditions began as a child, reading his father’s heroic-era exploration books. His curiosity about how explorers built and maintained resilient equipment for adventure and navigation sparked a lifelong passion for engineering design. This passion led to a career as a multidisciplinary engineer working in Green Technology. He has worked on a variety of cutting-edge systems including zero carbon steel manufacturing, and more recently, fusion energy.
Matt also enjoys drawing on more traditional techniques crafting in his spare time. He takes pride in using inherited tools including his grandmother’s sewing machine and grandfather’s hand planes. Adventure fills the remaining time in Matt’s life through mountain biking, cycle touring, tramping and mountaineering.
Matt hopes the expedition will fill the gaps in his understanding of what the early explorers went through that he has not been able to find through adventuring around Aotearoa New Zealand’s varied landscape. He looks forward to realising a lifelong dream, and in the process, providing another way to view why and how we build technology for the future.
Meleki Schuster (21)
Meleki Schuster is proud of his Samoan and Pākehā heritage. Originally from Rotorua, Meleki is now currently studying Global Studies in Wellington. He believes that his most meaningful learning has come from experiences outside the classroom. Meleki is fascinated by how challenges can uncover who people really are and how pressure can turn moments of uncertainty into something brave and meaningful.
Alongside his studies, Meleki is passionate about music. He enjoys writing and creating his own songs and plays several instruments.
Meleki was inspired to apply by Inspiring Explorer Ngawai Clendon, who came with the Trust on the Ross Sea 2025 Inspiring Explorers Expedition™. Ngawai’s story encouraged him to take on this new challenge. Meleki sees this journey as an adventure of a lifetime and looks forward this new opportunity to learn, grow and carry his story home.
Precious Tupou (18)
Precious Tupou, a proud Cook Islander from Ōtara in South Auckland, is a student at Tangaroa College. She has successfully completed NCEA Level 3 and hopes to be the first in her family to attend university, where she plans to study for a Bachelor of Nursing. Her dream is to become a nurse so she can give back to her family and community.
In her free time, Precious enjoys baking and experimenting with new recipes, often turning her creations into a way to earn a little pocket money. She loves spending quality time with friends and family, creating memories that last a lifetime. Sport has always been an important part of her life, actively participating in school activities including rock climbing, netball, athletics, and soccer. To stay active outside of her sports, she enjoys running, walking in nature, and hiking. Precious describes herself as adventurous and always seeking opportunities that push her beyond her comfort zone. She sees this expedition as an opportunity to grow, and to continue gaining new leadership skills. Her journey is just beginning, but every step she takes is rooted in gratitude for where she’s come from and excitement for where she’s going.
Sam Dunlay (28)
Sam is an award-winning musician and producer, self-published author, photographer, videographer, and creative storyteller. Originally born in Sydney Australia, Sam grew up in Lyttleton New Zealand and is deeply rooted in Christchurch’s vibrant creative scene. With degrees in Media and Communications, and Graphic Design, Sam loves sharing immersive stories that connect with diverse audiences.
Driven by a passion for new experiences, Sam has solo-travelled through Southeast Asia, spent a month in Guatemala at age 11, and regularly takes on ambitious creative projects. Resilient from birth, he was born with a hole in his heart requiring open-heart surgery and has since navigated health challenges, specific learning disabilities, and an adult ADHD diagnosis.
A keen sportsman and competitor, Sam plays football and basketball and trains in Muay Thai. Sam sees this Antarctic expedition as both a source of inspiration and a test of endurance in one of the world’s most challenging environments.
