Katerina Pihera-Ridge (Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi te Ahi, Kōtimana, Czech Republic) is an Indigenous Planner and Research Practitioner who leads BSI Scion group’s Restoration, Protection & Mauri o Te Waonui a Tāne science portfolio focused on ngahere forest health for Aotearoa. She holds a Master of Resource and Environmental Planning, with research focused on Indigenous planning approaches and insights from Aboriginal fire practitioners to inform improved wildfire management strategies. Katerina is a co-lead of the Indigenous Species Flammability theme within the MBIE-funded Extreme Wildfire Programme, working alongside leading wildfire scientists and forging new pathways for Indigenous approaches in wildfire. Her work centres on people, policy, and planning pathways that support collaborative, inclusive decision-making and resilient communities and ecosystems. She is closely connected with her Te Arawa Iwi and is the proud recipient of the 2024/25 RMLA Scholarship.