Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Paul McGee, Conservation House Officer in Wellington

At work…

Some things I do in my job include:

I organise property and facilities requests of all sorts, working with DOC staff all over the country, managing contractors and liaising with outside agencies. Some of the most common themes are: furniture, security access, office kits, tours, health and safety. But also do we need more forks? What fridge needs to be replaced? Wow, look at those beautiful plants!

Prepping for a swim at Cleopatra’s Pool

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Supporting a space where others can work their best, all within the goal of efficiently using our resources.

The best bit about my job is:

Working with everyone. In this role I get the opportunity to work with staff around the country and talk to people from a diversity of jobs and backgrounds. Usually it takes time to interact with so many other groups, but in this position, I got to know everyone very fast.

Also, while travelling, in the field, I see our tracks and huts, historic and cultural sites. Really awesome! And I’m proud to tell visitors, yes, I’m part of that!

The scariest DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

When someone got stuck in a Conservation House elevator. Through the glass passenger lift doors I could see panic in their eyes and I was getting pretty worried.

Doing the Kawarau Bridge bungy jump, in budgies

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

 I really like Nicola Malloy and it always brightens my day to see her.

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

I speak (or spoke) fluent Malagasy. I lived in Madagascar for a couple of years, in a village where I was the only English speaking person. Not only did I call this village home, I was there to work.  And I’m chatty. So, I was motivated (needed) to learn the local dialect. I’m quite slow with learning languages so this was a bit of a challenge but I got there in the end.

The song that always cheers me up is:

Led Zeppelin, ‘Fool in the Rain’. This song is about a guy who is on the edge of heartbreak, thinking he was stood up by a date. Then realises he’s waiting on the wrong corner. Or pretty much anything from Hot Chip or Beastie Boys.

My happy place is:

A dense forest, I immediately feel calm when surrounded by the shade of large trees.  Also, Goldings Free Dive bar – they host so many delicious New Zealand beers : )

My first trek South!

Before working at DOC:

I was living in Seattle. It’s a beautiful city, with fresh air, near mountains and water. Physically and culturally, there are many parallels with Wellington. I worked as a sexual health counsellor at a non-profit for six years then moved to a large corporation where I managed training systems. Feel free to ask me which I had more fun with.

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

“It’s not who you are but what you’ve done, that matters.” I find this encouraging, to focus on the present, instead of worrying about the past.

I have also prescribed to the line “eat it up or it will go to waste” which I sometimes think about getting as a tattoo.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

Remember, we’re all just people. A school teacher told me this as I was prepping for a speech I was really nervous about. It helped calm my nerves then, and still does.

Kayaking at Abel Tasman National Park

In work and life I am motivated by:

People. Learning from others and having fun while doing it. In and out of the office, it’s making and keeping relationships where I find the most meaning.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Experience more of this beautiful country – in the forests, on the beaches, over the mountains and plains. It’s such an amazing place and the more that enjoy it, the more will be motivated to help conserve it.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Keri Ford, Knowledge and Information Advisor in Wellington.

Keri Ford

At work…

Some things I do in my job include:

I work on DOC’s document management system, developing ways to help people create and store all their work electronically.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

I help people find the information they need to do their job and give them a sound base for decision making. I also help to ensure that we comply with our legislative responsibilities under the Public Records Act.

The best bit about my job is:

That moment when you know you’ve really helped someone, that may be giving them a new search technique that helps them find just what they want, or recovering the work they feared was lost. I have found DOC staff to be likeable and appreciative and I thoroughly enjoy interacting with them.

Document management training

The funniest DOC moment I’ve had:

It was actually in my own time, going to Kapiti Island. My great great grandfather Thomas Ransfield came from America and was a whaler based there, so I feel  a personal connection to the place.

When we landed, the ranger told us stories of the island and how we mustn’t feed the birds and that this might be hard as the birds are insistent. While he spoke a kākā listened thoughtfully and afterwards my partner brought out a large home baked Anzac biscuit, as the talk had made her hungry. The kākā spying that biscuit landed on her shoulder and stepped up her arm. He got a firm hold of the biscuit, fought and won possession of it. He then flew, the biscuit in his beak, eyed the ranger within an arms-length and I felt he delivered the punch-line of the story.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

Well I don’t want to pick one. DOC to me is about what we achieve together. If I had to choose a single person I’d choose Lucy Hoffman, because she is an ideal leader, she gets things done, is a joy to work with, brings out the best in everybody, will make the tough decisions but always relying on the best advice she has available and with it all maintains a great sense of humour.

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

My father was a successful artist, John Bevan Ford who has works in museums around the world, I really like his works. He was prolific, energetic and I thought his work kept getting better as he got older, there are plenty of New Zealand birds and landscapes nestled under the cloaks that he wove in the sky. On top of that he was a thoroughly likeable human being. Through him art became an integral component of my life, my love of music and painting came through him, I even quite like playing with Photoshop:

A beautiful spot!

My happy place is:

Riding through the Queen Elizabeth Park on the fantastic new cycle lane. I think bicycles are amazing pieces of technology, they don’t burn fossil fuels, they give you regular exercise and they don’t cut you off from the environment around you. You see the ranges on one side and blackberries and scrub on the other. It is fantastic riding with no smelly cars blowing smoke in your face on a route that has been designed for bikes, no steep inclines, beautiful winding rises.

My hero is:

Elon Musk, he is that rare capitalist who has a great sense of vision and belief  in that he seems to be a business man who is driven by a desire to build a better future. This will transform our transportation so it doesn’t run on fossil fuels. He has created electric cars that are fast, good looking, safe and people really want. By the end of next year they hope to be building an affordable mass market car that will have a range in excess of 200 miles and I think it could be a game changer. On top of that he’s chairman of SolarCity, speeding the uptake of renewable energy production and if that is not enough he’s working on developing reusable rockets and establishing a human colony on Mars. Oh and then there is the hyperloop.

Returning home to Bag End with my daughter

Deep and meaningful…

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

“When things get hard remember to enjoy something everyday”. My sister Stella shared this with me when I was going through some hard times, there is no way of going through life without having some, tough times will occur at work or home, everyone will experience the death of friends and family. It came in handy last year when Stella died of cancer, she showed me how tough situations can be faced with good grace and humour. Miss you Stella.

In work and life I am motivated by:

Having great people around me who are happy to share their excitement on Information Management issues (they’re a bit geeky) and also talk of music, art, culture travel, climate change and conservation and whatever amuses them. It makes all the difference working in a fantastic Team.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Albatross World by my father John Bevan Ford

Appreciate what’s around you, make your back yard abundant with vegetation, natives, fruit trees, vegetables, flowers and not concrete. Trust and nurture the impressions of joy you get from nature, it’s good for you. I think only if we love nature will we preserve it, our species and all others depend upon it. On that note I’ll hand you over to William Wordsworth:

……And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean, and the living air

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things.

To acknowledge the UN International Day of Forests we profile the team behind DOC’s Kauri Dieback Recreation Project who are working hard to protect our magnificent kauri forests.

Meet the team

Team: Kauri Dieback Recreation Project. We are a team of people working on this project – some full time, some doing a few days a week.

Tane Mahuta in the Waipoua Forest

What’s one interesting fact about each team member?

Richard Balm became the acting project manager in February when Shana Harding left to have her baby (she had baby boy Farrin in March and everyone is doing great).

Richard Balm

Alistair Smith is the man on the ground for the project – he’s the senior works officer and in charge of the on-the-ground track work. Alistair has nine years of experience managing track upgrades for DOC at a variety of locations including Masterton, Great Barrier Island, Warkworth and now regionally based in Whangarei. His claim to fame is winning a couple of surfing events in Wairarapa and travelling to Japan as an expert in construction of fencing.

Tony Beauchamp is one of DOC’s Threats Advisors and contributes to the project and to the wider Kauri Dieback Programme. Tony is an amazing source of knowledge and studies ornithology in his spare time.

Lynnie Gibson is seconded to the project and is in charge of iwi and community engagement. Lynnie loves kauri trees almost as much as she loves the ocean and tries to swim at the beach across the road from her house every day, even in winter (that is a ‘Northland’ winter).

Abi Monteith is seconded to the project and works on communications. Abi works part time on the project and when not at work drives a taxi that specialises in after school transportation for her two children and the various activities they do.

Abi Monteith and kids camping

Helen Ough Dealy works 1.5 days a week on long-term Kauri Dieback behaviour change. She recently reconnected with her Mexican heritage with a 5-week long trip to Mexico over summer.

What are your team’s favourite things?

Clean, mud-free shoes, gear and vehicles and short meetings.

What are your team’s pet peeves?

The misconceptions about kauri dieback. There’s a lot of false information about, including that sterilising agent rots boots. The scientists seem to be saying that it isn’t the steriliser but the scrubbing which is wearing the boots down!

Hard at work

What’s your team’s role at DOC?

We run the Kauri Dieback Recreation Project – this is DOC’s on-the-ground response to the disease killing kauri trees from Hamilton northwards. The project is one of DOC’s main priorities and involves work on 200 tracks over three years, starting next month.

One of the kauri dieback cleaning stations

How does this help DOC achieve our goals?

By protecting our iconic kauri trees – they are dying from kauri dieback and there is no cure. We’ve got to act now to save them.

How is your team structured?

Richard leads the project and under him is Abi, Lynnie and Helen who look after communication, community/iwi liaison and behaviour change. Alistair manages the on-the-ground work and Tony provides the science advice. We all feed into the joint agency response run by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

What is the hardest part about your team’s work?

Getting people to listen to us – the disease is killing kauri trees and there is no cure. We’ve got to stop the spread of soil and DOC staff play a key role in this, by educating the public and displaying best practice.

Kauri are one of the most ancient trees in the world

What is the best part of your job?

Seeing the results – the new cleaning stations we are testing are getting great compliance rates (yay), the on-the-ground track upgrades start next month and we had a great response from DOC staff.

What is special about the kauri tree?

The kauri is New Zealand’s largest and most famous native tree and are among the most ancient trees in the world. The largest kauri in existence is Tane Mahuta (Maori for ‘Lord of the Forest’). Tane Mahuta is 4.4 metres in diameter and 17.7 metres to the first branch.

The oldest tree is estimated to be 2,000 years old. This is Te Matua Ngahere (Father of the Forest), also in Waipoua Forest.

Practice your pronunciation

The word ‘Kauri’ is often mispronounced as ‘cow-ree’ – proper pronunciation is ‘Kauri’ as ‘Ko-ree’ (as in Go).

Want to know more?

The DOC website is the first place you should visit to learn more about the Kauri Dieback Recreation Project.

For more information on the joint agency response to kauri dieback run by the Ministry for Primary Industries visit the Keep Kauri Standing website.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Monica Garcia, Delivery Planner based in Nelson

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

I am part of the Operations Planning Unit which is a national team based in the regions. We turn DOC’s strategy into planned and prioritised work programmes that get delivered across the country. Our duties include project management, work planning, quality assurance, budgeting, monitoring biodiversity work, business planning, support for Battle for our Birds, national reporting, and any other general coordination between the troops and the chiefs.

My favourite spot—Poor Knights Islands.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Making sure we are doing the right work, in the right manner, at the right place and at the right time, which also means working as one organisation. We work to administer our planning and prioritisation systems and processes, and with Partnerships to align opportunities for growth.

The best bit about my job is:

The people, the purpose, the landscape, the country. By being part of a national team, I have the opportunity to work across the regions and also with people from all levels of the Department.

I’ve been fortunate to experience the biodiversity of this country, visit incredible places (many of them out of reach of the common citizen) and I feel privileged to be able to work in DOC, alongside very passionate and motivated people, doing our best for conservation in New Zealand.

Australian Fire Deployment—learning to burn the bush.

The funniest DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

As a ranger in Whangarei I worked in one of the most amazing spots in New Zealand, the Poor Knights Islands. This is a very special and awesome place for me, and I got to spend a lot of time there, doing weed control. In one of the five-day trips, we were ready to go and loaded everything in the DOC’s boat. However the swell conditions weren’t good so we decided to use a charter boat instead. When we were on the island, we started unpacking and discovered that one of the barrels had been left behind, inside DOC’s boat. That barrel was carrying, amongst other things, my sleeping bag and the toilet paper for the whole week. Needless to say, the three boys and I were not impressed. Luckily, it was January, so I didn’t miss the sleeping bag at all. But, for the rest—thank God for rangiora leaves!

Being a clown fish at a marine party in Whangarei

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that I:

I was born and grew up in Chile. I’m the youngest of four. My mum gave birth to me a month after a big earthquake, so I’ve had my fair share of them from very early on in life – which is kind of unavoidable when you are living there.

My greatest sporting moment was when:

When I was at university in Chile, I took on fencing – foil – just to try a different sport, and after only three months learning the rules and moves, we travelled to Santiago to compete in a national championship. We were a very small group from a province, competing against bigger and richer clubs. They were a bit cocky and didn’t take us very seriously. After few hours, I found myself in the quarter final, and to my surprise, I won. The girl I had to compete against in the final was quite intimidating, taller and had the crowd cheering for her. We had met before twice on the way to the finals – we each had won once – so when she started scoring points I thought “Oh well, at least I have a silver medal”. I ended up winning my first ever National Fencing Championship – novice category, foil division – to the surprise of my coach and the crowd.

The thing I’m most looking forward to in the next six months is:

I am looking forward to living with my partner in Canada, and getting the chance to explore a bit more of British Columbia. Having to watch out for creatures potentially wanting to poison you will be an experience – and then I’ll have to deal with the fauna! I think by the time you have to use the bear mace (pepper spray) you are too close for comfort!

Working attire on the Chatham islands

Before working at DOC:

I worked in forestry in Patagonia, before moving to Australia. For nine months I cleaned houses, pubs, toilets, and mowed lawns before getting a forestry job in South Australia. After five years, I moved to New Zealand – 13 years ago – and had a two-month stint at a sawmill in Whangarei, before getting a contract as ranger at DOC. The rest, as they say, is history (basically, they couldn’t get rid of me).

My most prized possession is:

I was going to say my kiwi passport, however, looking at the things I want to take with me to Canada, I realise how much stuff you can accumulate without noticing. I arrived in New Zealand with a suitcase and a backpack. Now, I found myself organising garage sales and taking stuff to the recycling center, in order to travel light. They are all possessions that can come and go, just stuff that I won’t be able to take with me if I was to fall off my perch, anyway. So – second thought – I would say my most prized possession is a healthy life, without which I wouldn’t be able to enjoy anything else – including my passport.

No weed is too big—spraying buddleia in Whangarei

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

There are many, but a couple come to mind: “You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying too much about the future”. Basically, chill-out or chillax.

With my fellow Te Reo Maori students at a marae noho in Whangarei

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

Some time ago I read a quote from comedian George Carlin that stuck with me: “Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things”.

In work and life I am motivated by:

The wonders of nature, landscapes, conservation, a good laugh, loyalty, cheeky people (e.g. Keith Hawkins), creativity, imagination, honesty, my co-workers who keep going on despite everything that gets thrown at them, humility, good food, did I say a good laugh?

An interesting initiative in Melbourne

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Get out and enjoy nature. Look after this little piece of heaven, every bit counts and can make a difference – even starting at home (from switching lights off and recycling, to using less paper or joining a volunteer group to clean a creek or plant trees). We are all connected to Papatūānuku, and what hurts her, it will hurt us. We are transient creatures, we are just tenants, and we don’t have any special right to use, abuse and spoil nature. So, on your way out of this world, try to leave your mark by not leaving any.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Helen Gillespie, Healthy Nature Healthy People Project Coordinator in Hokitika.

At work…

Some things I do in my job include:

Developing Healthy Nature Healthy People for DOC and connecting with others who also want to connect people with nature for the benefit of both.

At the moment that is with the health, disability and sport and recreation sectors through Mental Health Foundation, Ministry of Health, Office for Seniors, Halberg Disability Sport Foundation and New Zealand Recreation Association.

Running along Avalanche Peak — the photos remind you that we are just a tiny part of nature

The best bit about my job is:

That I don’t have to convince people or organisations that this makes sense. So many people and agencies are working in this space and success would be the collective impact achieved by working together. I’m inspired by the fact that so many other organisations also have the same fundamental goals – albeit framed in different ways.

The awesome-est DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

Sharing a field trip lunch break with colleagues in the hills. I know that you can’t always pick the weather when it’s time to stop for food but on this particular day the sun was shining, we were high enough up that the sandflies were absent and the company (in this case Rob Harrison and Iain Buckman) was in good humour. I reckon that any lunch break outdoors on a fine day is hard to beat and there aren’t too many occupations where you get such a variety of potential lunch stops!

Lunch breaks on field trips is one of the perks of working for DOC

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most:

Are those who have gone before us. They paved the way for us and inspired us to join the journey. In many cases they worked in the ways we want to work and were humble and understated about their achievements. They carry a great deal of mana both within and outside our organisation.

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

I am the proud owner of a silver fern running singlet. Yes I did earn it! I ran for New Zealand at the World Mountain Running Champs in Edinburgh 1995 (yikes that is a long time ago). I have always loved running and hills. Great combination – the quicker you get up to the top the sooner you get the view.  Better still, if you get there first you get to savour the moment of solitude and contemplation before others get there. On reflection that probably seems a bit selfish and to be honest when you are racing there’s not much time for contemplation!  The photos make it seem as though I had the whole place to myself.

My happy place is:

Anywhere in nature that includes hills, views and preferably running. My favourites would be the Routeburn Track, Avalanche Peak or closer to home up the Toaroha Track to the Cedar Flats Hot Pools.

When I only have a small window of opportunity I can run into the hot pools, have a quick soak and be home by midday – tramping would be an overnighter!

When you run these tracks you don’t see the small stuff but you do get the vast landscapes and when you get your race photos you realise how small we are and how vast the wilderness is that surrounds us.

My greatest sporting moment:

When I raced Avalanche Peak for the first time in 1997. I was new to the West Coast and suddenly racing in real mountains. No more steep hills; These were really big, sharp pointy things with exposure and scree slopes!

If I could trade places with any other person for a week:

It would be Dr Seuss –  Wise, funny, a bit odd but enduring and ageless. When we go ‘bush’ with the kids Dr Seuss is everywhere – so many plants look like something he has since created in art. Some examples:

My greatest sporting moment:

When I raced Avalanche Peak for the first time in 1997. I was new to the West Coast and suddenly racing in real mountains. No more steep hills, these were really big, sharp pointy things with exposure and scree slopes. It took years for me to decide whether I actually liked the race or not but the enduring moment which I cherish to this day is a kea with wings outstretched facing me and flying past right in front of me as I popped out above the bush line.

At that moment and ever since I realised the incredible privilege of being able to run and to experience these things in a matter of hours. I’m injured at the moment and now I’m experiencing ‘slow nature’ – rich, detailed and so much more depth when you move more slowly and take your time to soak it all up.

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

A gem my parents used to trot out when I was navigating my teenage years (does anyone else wonder how on earth we made it through that period)? The quote, which I’m sure originated from someone wise and famous (and probably dead now) was: “Be a leader not a follower”. That has steered me away from some sticky situations and led me to some amazing opportunities.

Running the Routeburn Classic. The trouble with racing is you don’t see what you’ve run past until you get the photos. When was the last time you saw a smiling runner! They do exist.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

“Get outside.” My mother used to say this to us and we were never sure if it was a demand, a suggestion or a threat but the consequence was that we spent a whole lot of time outdoors. Cheers Mum.

When I was a kid our ‘nature’ was our 300ha sheep and beef cattle farm. No native vegetation in sight and plenty of cultivation but I still had that sense of guardianship that we all share in DOC for Our Nature.

In work and life I am motivated by:

People who want to help others succeed. Not surprisingly they are amazingly interesting people to know.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

‘Spend more time outdoors, more often and we’ll all be better off’.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Dave Matthews who is retiring from DOC after 33 years working as a ranger based out of Hamilton.

Dave planting another tree (a career tally of many thousands)

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

Track and structure inspections, general maintenance of tracks and facilities, signage, fire permits and readiness and (the occasional) reptile and bird permitting.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Keeping our tracks and facilities safe and enjoyable for visitors and enhancing their experience of the great outdoors.

The best bit about my job is:

Being out and about in our fabulous back country. Sitting on top of Mount Pirongia and having a falcon fly past your face.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

The late Don Major. He had amazing skill at just about everything he did and always maintained the highest levels of integrity and honesty. I also enjoyed my long association with Bruce Postill in the Waikato area.

Dave Matthews (seated front right) in the original ‘Tainui District’ team photo

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

I have a log-splitter.

The song that always cheers me up is:

‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

My happy place is:

Anywhere in Tongariro National Park.

Work colleagues over many years, Bruce Postill (left) and Dave at Pahautea Hut, atop Mount Pirongia

If I could trade places with any other person for a week, it would be:

Julius Caesar (when he was good friends with Cleopatra).

My best ever holiday was:

Spending six months touring Europe in a Kombi van might have been the ‘best’ but arriving in New York with my family a few days after 9/11 was certainly memorable. Looking down on Ground Zero from the Empire State Building; being there when America went to war against Afghanistan; the anthrax scare in New Jersey. We went from place to place catching up with American students that we had hosted at home over the years. Seeing places like Vermont, up by the Canadian border – breathtaking.

My greatest sporting moment was when:

I climbed Mount D’Archaic in Aoraki National Park. (And I carried the baton from Piarere to Tirau prior to the 1974 Commonwealth games!

The thing I’m most looking forward to in the next 6 months is:

Having my wife Dianne back from Nauru, where she has been teaching for the past two and a half years and adjusting to retirement mode.

Dave and Diane – let the new chapter begin!

In my spare time:

I enjoy cycling, anything physical, reading (mainly non-fiction).

If I could be any New Zealand native species I’d be:

An Archey’s frog. Living for decades without having to get into water.

My secret indulgence is:

Playing with my log-splitter.

If I wasn’t working at DOC, I’d like to:

Be a permanent traveller, exploring New Zealand’s backcountry.

Before working at DOC:

I was a teacher for nine years, then three years as ranger assistant for Department of Lands and Survey.

My hero is:

Sir Edmund Hillary.

My biggest pet peeve is:

Don’t really have any. Maybe people who always say ‘awesome’!

My most prized possession is:

My log splitter.

Dave on duty at Mystery Creek Fieldays (career tally of many thousands of words of sound advice!)

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

‘I am just going outside and may be some time.’ (Lawrence Oates)

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

Think before you speak.

In work and life I am motivated by:

The challenge of doing a job well. (Okay, the challenge of doing it perfectly!)

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Look after it while you’ve still got it.

A few words about Dave by Bruce Postill

Following a travel period overseas Dave returned to work for Lands & Survey Dept in the mid 1980s as a Reserve Assistant. When DOC was established in 1987 he became a field ranger attached to the original Waikato Region’s Tainui District, a role he retained until this year.

Dave is a keen outdoorsman and has a broad range of skills. Climbing, hunting, tramping and prior to working with DOC he was an outdoor education teacher.

He has always been an outspoken and passionate conservationist. He’s never been short of something to say, especially on political matters or if someone in the office failed to use the correct recycle bin. He was our office’s ‘recycling conscience’. Talking and being able to pass his skills or opinion to anyone within earshot is one of his favourite pastimes.

There are more funny stories about Dave than almost anyone else in the Waikato District. On one occasion he was undertaking the painting of a two metre high galvanised iron fence. It overhung a very wet peat bog:

“What we will do is get a long plank to overhang the bog. Drive the front wheel of the 4×4 onto the end of the plank and I will walk out to the end and do the painting.” Dave carefully made it to the end of the plank and with the first stroke of the brush, the plank pivoted sideways away from the fence. The paint was lost and Dave was fully enveloped in the bog.

One of Dave’s outstanding skills was the quality of his workmanship on tracks, building jobs and especially signs.

Dave only had one standard, ‘perfect’. If a sign needed two coats of paint it got three. He always had a critical eye for grammatical text issues on draft signs. The placement of the sign and where holes were dug, the signed washed and the ground left appearing undisturbed.

For many years to come Dave’s contribution to people’s conservation welfare will be visible on Waikato tracks.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Annie De’Ath, Organisational Development Advisor based in Wellington.

At work…

Some things I do in my job include:

Working on programmes and frameworks to help with the development of DOC staff. Currently, most of my energy is focused on the upcoming workplace engagement survey and making sure everything is set up to run smoothly.

‘Nonna’, me, dad and my uncle at our Italian cooking class in Tuscany

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Ensuring our people have the opportunities to reach their potential and deliver more for conservation. Other things like the workplace engagement survey provide an important platform for staff to give feedback on what is working well in the organisation, and what needs improvement. By collecting this information across the organisation we can find out some clear themes which help managers think about where to focus their efforts.

The best bit about my job is:

Working with such a cool bunch of people. Our little corner of the world is always full of laughter which makes it really enjoyable to be at work. I also love working with managers and seeing how passionate they are about helping their staff grow and develop.

The awesome-est DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

Heading down to Nelson to see what my team mate Scott gets up to down there. Him and his partner own a lot of native land and it was so cool to spend a night out there and see what he does in his spare time. I meet so many people here who do incredible stuff outside of work which is pretty inspiring.

Walking around Lake Rotopounamu

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

My manager Sally Thomas. She is a super cool person and I learn a lot from working with her every day about enabling and empowering others.

On a personal note…

The thing I’m most looking forward to in the next 6 months is:

It isn’t 6 months so I am cheating, but I am really looking forward to Christmas! I am over-excited about Christmas most years, but this year I have immediate and extended family from my side, and my partners staying with us. So I am really looking forward to doing all the cooking, decorating the house, and buying more lights!

Christmas cupcakes – the start of my favourite season

In my spare time:

I go to Melbourne as often as I can to spend time with my parents and two younger sisters. I also love being in the kitchen, doing pilates, supporting the local community, and playing with my new puppy!

My new puppy

If I wasn’t working at DOC:

I’d like to work in the social sector with vulnerable children and families.

My celebrity hero is:

Jamie Oliver. I am super passionate about taking practical actions to support children and families in need, and I believe that he walks the talk with his actions around food education.

My best ever holiday was:

A few weeks with my family in France and Italy last year. I love the French culture, practicing the language, and making a lot of hilarious memories from spending so much time living in close quarters with my family (going slightly insane). It was my first time in Italy so I spent as much time as possible exploring and eating! In saying that, it is hard to choose between that trip and Thailand where I got to go diving for the first time – that was incredible.

Diving in Thailand around Racha Yai and Racha Noi Islands

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid” – Einstein

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is…

“Look within before judging or criticising others.” – Good friend

“Do the right thing.” – Parents

“Advice is just advice.”- Shaun O’Connor

Climbing the hills in Cinque Terre, Italy with my youngest sister (note who looks more exhausted)

In work and life I am motivated by:

Helping others, having fun, doing the right thing, and achieving something positive.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Leave it better than when you found it.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Paul Jacques, Ranger (Biodiversity Monitoring) based in Invercargill.

At work…

Releasing a juvenile wandering albatross, Bluff

Some things I do in my job include:

In the summer I work with my team to deliver the biodiversity monitoring across Southland and Otago. My main role is to complete the bird and mammal measures (5 minute and distance counts, ungulate pellet counts and chew cards for possums), and I also dabble in a bit of vegetation monitoring when the team needs a hand. In the winter I carry out a bunch of other monitoring work as required e.g. possum trap catch monitoring and provide support with other projects. This winter I am the site lead for the Battle for our Birds sites in Murihiku District, so I’m really looking forward to making an important contribution to protecting the native species that I monitor in the summer.

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

I gather data to inform conservation management decisions and to detect large scale, long-term changes in ecosystems such as species composition, distribution of pests and so on. Our data is also used for national and international reporting.

The best bit about my job is:

I get paid to go bird watching. Although it is often not quite as straightforward as that, there are many days when I thank my lucky stars that I have landed a job doing something that I love, (the other sorts of days are mostly forgotten by the end of a trip). But really the best part of the work is the team of energetic, amusing and talented people that I work with; they make the job worth doing, and I would be a sad and lonely bird spotter without them!

Anna Harris, Max Crowe and I above the Footstool, Milford Sound, contemplating the walk down to a monitoring plot

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

Tough question as I have held a bunch of different roles and worked with a lot of great people over my 10+ years working for DOC in Southland, but since I have to pick one, my buddy Willy Gamble gets my vote. I don’t know anyone who is a more committed conservationist, both at work and at home. He is active in promoting conservation in his local community and his backyard is an urban oasis of native plants, vegetables and quirky driftwood sculptures. As a colleague I’ve always been impressed by his creativity and inspired by his positivity and his gift of seeing the funny side of things.

On a personal note…

Most people don’t know that:

I have an identical twin brother who is also a bird surveyor but on the other side of the world. Sean and I started watching birds when we were 10, (bird watching is a popular hobby in the UK, where we grew up), and although we have both had various other jobs, for a fair portion of each of our careers we have been bird counters. Sean is currently completing flight path surveys of seabirds and birds of prey in Scotland to mitigate bird strike issues at proposed wind farm sites. At this moment he’s probably up to his knees in snow, waiting patiently for something interesting to fly over.

Sean and I in juvenile plumage, cycling around Scotland, 1999

My happy place is:

A backcountry hut somewhere, probably in the Eyre or Takitimu Mountains, pleasantly tired after a big day, with the fire crackling and a full belly.

My best ever holiday was:

Tramping the Pyke-Hollyford over Christmas/New Year with Amber, my lovely partner. Eight days with no rain, 120 kilometres of challenge and adventure, and some interesting characters met along the way too. The cableway over the Olivine River added a bit of excitement, I’m sure it is much safer than it feels. Returning to civilisation after a tramp like that felt like a bit of anti-climax!

Happy place: tramping with my sweetheart, Amber McRae at Port Craig

My greatest sporting moment was when:

I headed the winning goal for Southend United against Queens Park in the Premier League. That’s the Southland Premier League. The ball was played in the air a lot that day because the pitch was totally waterlogged. In driving, horizontal rain I somehow distinguished the ball from a passing red-billed gull, leapt like a salmon above the lumbering central defender and met it as it dropped out of the sky like a brick. As I lay on my back in a puddle, I dimly registered a roar from my teammates as the ball nestled into the top corner of the net. Ah, the beautiful game…

My most prized possession is: 

My Sako 75 in .243 a.k.a. the “meat bringer”. I purchased it second-hand in 2011 and have since taken a lot of deer with it plus a bunch of chamois, goats, wallabies, pigs etc. It shoots extremely well; I just have to try to point it in the right direction. I haven’t bought meat from the supermarket since I have owned it, which says as much about wild animal numbers in Southland as it does about my hunting abilities. Last winter I even shot a stoat with it; I didn’t eat that.

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

One from my late Grandmother, Nellie Jacques, a pint-sized Liverpool Irishwoman who raised 3 boys through the blitz and the hard years that followed. When people poked fun at her diminutive stature she would shut them up by saying that “you don’t get diamonds as big as bricks”.

Baiting a cat bait station, typical January day on the Tin Range, Rakiura

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is: 

I’m sure that I’ve had all kinds of good advice over the years and I probably ignored most of it; I guess that there is no substitute for making your own mistakes. I do remember Andy Roberts telling me that I should think about applying for this job when it came up, which was a very good call, thanks!

In work and life I am motivated by:

My children, Ursula (12), Dylan (10), George (7). They are wonderful and I am very proud of them. Enough said.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Get out more. Put down that play station, ditch the big TV, get out there and sample the wealth of adventure that our public lands have to offer. Best of all, take a kid/s with you; you might well start them on an adventure that could last them a lifetime.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile the Geospatial Services Team.

The team

Brenton collecting beech seed

Andrea Sward is very impressed by New Zealand’s beautiful landscape and the selection of snack foods available.

Andrew Evans is recently married.

Ann de Schutter is almost used to “hot dogs” made with a slice of bread, we use buns in Belgium.

Brenton Wilson is renovating a 100-year-old villa or out hunting in the weekends.

Caroline Vickridge is ½ French, ½ Kiwi, recently back in New Zealand to discover the South Island and help save kiwi.

Chris Conner came to New Zealand after meeting his Kiwi wife running the 2009 Antarctic Marathon.

Dion “gravity is only a theory” Fabbro is a keen mountain biker.

Doug Anderson likes field trips and going on courses (the golf kind).

Duane Wilkins ia a slayer of hedgehogs, worked for USAID in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Elaine McAlister loves travelling and takes the family back to Northern Ireland as often as possible always via different routes.

Gary Eason is a slave to a bichon frise.

Geraldine Moore once played chicken with an enraged high-speed falcon to prove it existed.

Gisleine Ribas is from Brazil, she enjoys exploring New Zealand’s beauty and is eagerly awaiting winter snowboarding!

Greg Hawker is Dunedin born and bred, amenable to Speights.

Greg officiating at the Sunburst Nationals Races on Otago Harbour

Heather Campbell is a keen photographer who is enjoying life in the Tron!

Helen Curtis (GIS, Marine Ecosystems Team) is a keen runner, climber, 1/8^th Polish.

James Kinney started as unpaid intern, and still here three and a half years later.

Jen Iles went to the subantarctic islands last year and now can’t stop thinking about how to get back there.

Jen in Paradise, Enderby Island

Marea Smith is a super mum to a girl and three boys.

Mark Peacey’s interests include mountain biking and craft beers.

Martin Slimin has been head down in pesticide work presently, incapable of being interesting!

Matt Grose’s favourite pastime: dancing to “Nellie the Elephant” (Toy Dolls version) with his girls.

Neil Dingle likes to test Freedom Camping sites in his spare time.

Peter in the Galápagos Islands

Norm Thornley is a year dot employee and weekend stoat masher.

Peter Hiemstra has spent time in the Galápagos Islands as a GIS volunteer.

Robyn Crisford dreams of sailing around the Pacific Islands living on kai moana and island smiles.

Terry Conaghan is presently trying to convert a collection of healthy weeds to an unhealthy state.

At work

What’s your team’s role at DOC?

We provide a comprehensive service for staff that includes mapping, analysis, data, technical advice, support for field operations and emergency response. We help staff by providing tools, training, support and advice. We also collaborate with other providers and agencies.

How does this help achieve DOC’s vision?

It’s hard to look after and promote New Zealand’s many treasures without knowing where they are, what they are like, and how they are connected and interrelated.

Pest control operation

Where are you based?

Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, National Office (Wellington), Motueka, Hokitika, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill and field locations as required.

What’s the hardest part about your team’s work?

Saying “No” or “Sorry, please wait”.

Not necessarily knowing what is coming — our job is very reactive.

Asking the right questions.

Overly tight deadlines.

Very taxing field operations.

What is the best part of your job?

“Seeing my map on a sign, at a visitor centre, or on a ranger’s notice board three years later.”

“The variety, we work across all areas of DOC.”

“Helping rangers and DOC staff on the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Getting to visit special places like Little Barrier Island.”

“Saving things — a highlight was a client saying my map helped DOC win an environment court case, saving a species of endangered snail!”

“Seeing someone have an ‘aha’ moment, making the power of spatial information work for them.”

“Working with passionate staff.”

“Going from collections of overlooked dog-eared notebooks to an app with which staff can enter, keep track of and report on years’ worth of weed control.”

Geospatial data used on an interpretation sign at Kaikoura

What are your team’s favourite things?

Beyond chocolate and golf? Making products that change the world, passionate clients, experiencing how our work helps, tidy spreadsheets (well, someone has to like them), GPS files, clients taking a moment to understand our world as we understand theirs, sharing ideas and building better ones, metadata someone else has written, making a superior “thing”, helping someone meet their spatial information needs themselves.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Invercargill Operations Ranger Doug Veint is retiring next week after 53 years of public service. Here are some of his reflections on his career.

Where did your career begin?

My 53 years in the public service began at 17 years of age, as a Clerical Cadet in the Ministry of Works Department in Invercargill, in the building that I was born in.

Doug (centre) with DOC Invercargill colleagues

What has changed the most since your career in public service began?

Departments that I have worked in prior to DOC no longer exist (i.e. Ministry of Works, later Ministry of Works and Development, New Zealand Forest Service, Department of Labour, Electricity Sector Power Supply Authorities). So the public service, itself, has been the biggest change.

How and when did you join DOC?

Having earlier been associated with the establishment of DOC with the New Zealand Forest Service, I applied for a Southland Conservancy management position, then designated Manager Personnel and Administration, and took up that appointment on 31 October 1994. In my 10 years or so in that HR role, I enjoyed meeting and working with staff generally in the large and diverse Southland Conservancy, and also the frequent contact with regional and national colleagues. In 2005 I moved into a biodiversity role.

Meeting of South Island Human Resources Advisors

Some things that I have undertaken in my DOC job (since April 2005) include:

I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to be appointed to a biodiversity position in the Offshore Islands Team in the Southern Islands Area Office, processing various categories of research permits (Wildlife Act, Research and Collection, Scientific Research in Marine Reserves, etc); Entry Permits for the Subantarctic Islands, a couple of restricted Nature Reserves on Stewart Island, Whenua Hou Codfish Island, and Solander Island; and administering tourism Guiding Concessions, and Permit Granting Access (Entry Permits) for eight overseas cruise ship companies and a New Zealand company that had Departmental Concessions approved for landing passengers at the Auckland and Campbell Islands in the subantarctic islands.

I have very much enjoyed the contact with the many individuals and groups who have had an association with the Islands, including researchers and other staff from various technical sections within DOC, researchers from NIWA, Universities from New Zealand and overseas, and other organisations; also the close working relationship with cruise ship companies from New Zealand and overseas, and staff from other government departments and organisations who have an involvement in that programme – MFAT, MPI, Customs, Navy, Antarctica New Zealand, Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service, etc.

Leveling out the helicopter pad on Whenua Hou Codfish Island

What species programme has influenced you most in your role with southern islands?

Because of our team’s close involvement with Whenua Hou Codfish Island, and the Kakapo Recovery Programme team in the office, I have been privileged to have been associated in some small way with their work, and the people visiting the Island. Our team also visited the island on occasions to assist with projects.

My granddaughter Alyssa was able to meet up with Deidre Vercoe and some of the kakapo chicks in Invercargill

Outside your normal day-to-day work with the Department, what other events with DOC stand out for you?

Of particular note was being given the opportunity to travel in March 1996, together with Andy Roberts, on an Orion flight from Dunedin and travelling over all of the subantarctic islands, dropping a parcel from the plane to Kath Walker and Graeme Elliott at Antipodes Islands before landing back in Dunedin later in the day.

In work and life I am motivated by…

My family! We were all together for part of the past Christmas–New Year period, for the first time in three years.  We managed to get some family photos.

After a number of attempts, we finally managed to get a sensible photo

What does the future hold?

I think I am looking forward to retirement after 53 years in the Government Sector. I look back on the various roles that I have undertaken, with some pride. I am very lucky to have been able to work for almost 22 years with so many dedicated, passionate and experienced conservation staff, covering so many fields of activity.

Many thanks, both to local staff who have had to work with me, to staff that I have been associated with in various other offices within DOC, and to all researchers, staff of other Departments, and cruise ship companies that I have worked with in recent years. Best wishes to all for the future.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Ollie Harris, Ranger Supervisor (Biodiversity) in Takaka.

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

I work as part of a team of 4-5 people mainly based in the field. Weeds are our bread and butter, but I’m also involved with animal pests, possums, stoats, rats, pigs, and some other work involving snails and whales. I’m also a part of a rope access team focusing on weed control. Most months have a backcountry element. Usually I’m staying in staff quarters, the odd tent. We have great field team and enjoy the backcountry trips away where food is always a highlight. My main role is to support the biodiversity field staff. Our work is very varied, with multiple logistics. Rivers, tides, mountains, snails one week and weeds the next. With Kahurangi, Abel Tasman and Farewell Spit right on our doorstep, our team covers quite a bit of country.

Out with the mutt

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Takaka is a small slice of land surrounded by two national parks; pest control is a crucial management tool to protect and enhance these parks.

The best bit about my job is:

Where to start? The folks I work with are great! The amazing compact landscape we have in Golden Bay. Work sites that feel like visiting an old friend. The off track out of the way places. The navigation and adventures we share. Working with folks who really care about what they are doing. Doing work that has real value.

Mt Burnett weed control

The funniest DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

A few years back I was involved with a kiwi census at Saxon Hut on the Heaphy Track. It was a ten day trip, the hut was a garden shed then so it was living in tents, cooking in the hut. During the day we would catch kiwi with telemetry. At night it was a mad dash through the red tussock and misty wet bogs of the wintery Gouland Downs till early in the morning. A type of rugby scrum to catch birds called in by a sound device. This went on day and night.

Towards the end of the trip on our last night I was standing in position waiting for the call to be made to chase the bird. No kiwis were keen to put on a show so I thought I’d knee down for a bit. Time passed, it was winter and I was in full body armour for working at night. I talked myself into lying down, seemed like a good idea for just a few moments perhaps. Next thing I know I’m surrounded by other staff and they think I’ve got hypothermia! The snoring soon put any worries to rest. Just a quick nap in the wet tussock!

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is:

Ken Brown taught me heaps in the early years. Weeds, possum, goats and clay pigeons. He’s one of those all rounders that can put his hand to anything and do it well. Cheers Ken you introduced me to all sorts of stuff which I’ve grown to love.

On a personal note…

My happy place is:

After running around the landscape all week, I love to be home for at least one day a week. We’re tucked in the kanukas and totaras in a rabbit warren of a house on the west side of Takaka Valley in the lumpy karst foothills of Kahurangi.

Weed control with the team at Kahurangi Point

My best ever holiday was:

When me and my wife were still getting to know each other we went to Thailand for five months. At that point we were pretty enthusiastic about climbing and caving. We spent several months climbing in the south. The limestone karst landscape is epic. We climbed most of everything in our grade, we spent another six weeks or so in the north, checked out some fantastic caves in another huge block of karst.

I think the best bit was eating out all the time and getting to know each other. It was a great test for our relationship, all that time together and loads of negotiating the plan. A few years later we got married.

The thing I’m most looking forward to in the next 6 months is:

Every school holidays I religiously take my son out on a tramp somewhere. We are in the planning stage at the moment. When I’m in the hills at work I often want to share that side of my life with him. When I get him out there I think, I’m never going to look back and think I should have done less tramping with him.

On the work front, there’s a big block of time coming up for me in the Northern Abel Tasman. Navigating and cutting open stoat trapping lines. I can wait to get stuck in. Will be great winter work!

Flying stoat trap boxes in the Abel Tasman

In my spare time:

I love to get out for a day hunt, take some photos and hang out with the dog. Or get stuck into to some land jobs at home.

My hero is:

Steve McQueen

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

“We need the tonic of Wilderness.” – Thoreau

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

There are two types of motor bikers: those who have fallen off and those that will!

Limestone overhangs in Heath Creek, Kahurangi

In work and life I am motivated by:

Family and adventures.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Get out there Kiwis! We’ve got it all on our back doorstep. It’s right there to enjoy.

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Kristina Mottlova, Visitor Centre Ranger at Franz Josef.

At work

Some things I do in my job include:

I’ve worked at DOC Visitor Centre for nearly nine years. Mostly at Franz Josef (Westland Tai Poutini National Park) and one year at Punakaiki (Paparoa National Park).  A big part of my role is about looking after people in various ways. Providing information related to our area and having ‘the people-understanding approach’ to fit each individual/family to the right walk, activity or a scenic view, to get them excited about this place and keep them safe in this ever-changing environment. It can be sometimes challenging, sometimes frustrating but always rewarding, when you see people enjoying themselves and learning to appreciate  this dynamic landscape with its mountains, glaciers, rivers, rainforest and all within.

Working at our new Visitor Centre at Franz Josef

This helps achieve DOC’s vision by:

Healthy Parks Healthy People – this vision really appeals to me. If we don’t look after our environment our health, body and soul will be struggling. When talking to visitors I always try to make them aware of the place they are visiting, how special and fragile it is, that they should feel privileged having the opportunity to see our disappearing glaciers as well as our endangered  species, like our local kiwi species, the rowi. We hope when people learn to appreciate nature, they will look after it better.

The best bit about my job:

Well, being paid to be an advocate of this special place, share it with our visitors and sometimes go out and explore it in my tramping boots!

On a walk to see the Franz Josef Glacier

The awesome-est DOC moment I’ve had so far is:

Several times I’ve had an amazing opportunity to go with our bio team to monitor kiwi in the local Okarito sanctuary. Once I went on Motuara Island (a pest predator-free island in the Marlborough Sounds) to check on the young kiwi living there. That was absolutely amazing experience – the bird life there was incredible!

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires me most is:

I cannot think of only one colleague, but there have been a lot of them who inspire me everyday. The typical DOC ranger with her/his “I can do it” attitude, bush-bashing through the forest to get muddy and scratched ‘just’ to collect a kiwi egg and bring it to a safe hatching place, or scrub-cutting and chainsawing for several days in the backcountry without proper meal and comfortable bed, ‘just’ to make the track more enjoyable and safe for the adventure-seekers. These are the guys that really inspire me! They are really tough boys and girls too!

On a personal note…

My happy place is:

Either somewhere at a remote backcountry hut or in my garden.

Our wild West Coast

The thing I’m most looking forward to in the next 6 months is:

Going home to visit my family and friends back at my home country (Czech Republic) and enjoying a good European food and Czech beer!

My secret indulgence is:

A homemade basil pesto. I can’t live without it! It took me several summers to figure out how to grow enough basil plants in the one of the rainiest places of New Zealand. But I’ve managed that! Now I can have pesto everyday, even during winter!

Homemade pesto sharing with friends

My most prized possessions are:

A big ceramic 12 litre pot with a wooden stomper for compacting cabbage and fermenting it into sauerkraut. I like discovering old food preparation methods for many reasons. Often these ways are more environmentally friendly (less/or none electricity used) and quite healthy for us too. Great thing for sharing with friends!

Deep and meaningful…

My favourite quote is:

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is:

By my dad: “Always have a goal, small one for each day, a big one for a year/years.”

By my partner: “Take small steps, not big ones, they would tire you out much faster.” (That was when I went on my first backcountry track in New Zealand carrying  a huge heavy backpack with all my things for travelling for three months and I’ve never done a longer walk than half a day before! It was exhausting but I fell in love with tramping!)

Combination of these two bits of advice have helped me in accomplishing many small and some bigger personal goals.

Fun when stomping cabbage into a sauerkraut

In work and life I am motivated by:

The opportunity to learn new things everyday. My work and place I live provide me with a never-boring environment with new challenges and discoveries.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is:

Coming from another country it might not be appropriate giving advice, but maybe because I came from quite polluted Europe, I can better appreciate the clean air and clear water here. For that reason I’d like to stress the importance of looking after our forests, rivers and own backyards. Please don’t take the nature for granted!

Waiata

By Lauren Buchholz, Community Ranger in Napier

Fogs of breath lifted into the air as our group moved slowly onto the Waimārama marae. In front of us, various elders and tribal leaders waited patiently beneath the wharenui. One of the women called out, her voice resonating clearly across the yard: a karanga.

I pressed in a bit closer to the group standing around me. My reaction had as much to do with the cold as with a slight sense of nervousness as I took my first steps into a different world.

Barely two weeks had passed since my very first day as a DOC ranger. I wasn’t simply new to the organisation, either. As a recent migrant from the United States, everything I know about New Zealand had mostly been gleaned during the past eight months of my life. I’ve worked in conservation in the States for nearly a decade, but learning what that field looks like for an island nation halfway around the world often feels like starting back at square one.

Attendees test their reflexes during a tī rākau game

My trip to the marae was a prime example. I would be here for the next four days with a group of staff from around the country for Te Pukenga Atawhai: an opportunity to learn more about Māori tikanga and cultural values as well as the relationship between iwi and the natural world. Te Pukenga is designed to help DOC staff understand and incorporate this wealth of knowledge so we can partner effectively with local iwi and hāpu. In my various roles with state and national organisations across America, I’d never experienced anything like this.

The sun rose higher during our pōwhiri, warming the marae ātea as conversations flowed back-and-forth in Te Reo. Joe Harawira, Te Putahitanga for DOC, translated the message: a warm welcome and a blessing that the coming week would be an enlightening one.

The solemnity of the pōwhiri was lifted during morning tea, the kai representing a transition from sacred affairs to whakawhanaungatanga – the developing of relationships. Carl Baker played guitar as the Kahui Kaupapa Atawhai team serenaded us, the first of many times that music would accompany a meal. It wasn’t merely entertainment. The songs helped us to connect with the culture in which we were now immersed.

Music and dance were critical to our lessons at Te Pukenga. In between sessions that ranged from Māori creation stories to an overview of Section 4, our group would be roused by Carl and Shayla Kora to learn the words and movements to two different songs. I don’t think any of us were hired by DOC for our dancing skills! Yet thanks to the dedicated efforts of our teachers, we were able to perform for the home people for our farewell ceremony.

Learning traditional kapa haka

I don’t know if I will ever be fluent in Te Reo, but by the end of the week I was able to pull out certain words and expressions from conversations. I’d also crafted my first mihi, interweaving my background and my journey across the Pacific with the vast oral history of Māori. The experience of connecting with a culture so intensely in such a short period of time is one of the highlights of my career in conservation, and another opportunity to celebrate a place I now call home.

Today is World Ranger Day, a day to celebrate the amazing things our hundreds of hard-working rangers do across Aotearoa all year round. From all over the country, here’s a snapshot of the wide variety of jobs our rangers do on a daily basis…

7.00am

As dawn breaks, rangers Sian Reynolds and Rose Hanley-Nickolls get ready for a day out in Haast Tokoeka Sanctuary, searching for Haast tokoeka, one of our rarest kiwi. They’re starting the day at Music Creek bivvy up the Arawhata River. “It’s so cold in the biv we can’t decide how to drink our tea,” says Sian.

8.00am

In Mount Taranaki, one of DOC’s only ‘coffee rangers’ is making the first brew of the day. Kirstie Loveridge manages the Kāmahi Café at Egmont National Park Visitor Centre – the only DOC-run café in the country.  “At 945 metres above sea level the café is the highest in Taranaki and has awesome views,” says visitor centre ranger Sorrel Hoskin.

DOC’s ‘coffee ranger’ Kirstie Loveridge prepares the first brew of the day.

Meanwhile at the Ruapehu Adventure Rides complex, rangers from the Waikato District and Ohakune offices are gearing up for a day of LUV (light utility vehicle) driver training. DOC replaced its quad bike fleet with LUVs in 2015, and safe operation of all vehicles is a high priority for the Department.

A day of LUV training lies ahead for these Waikato and Ohakune-based staff.

8.30am

Over to Mt Stanley in the Marlborough Sounds, where Leanne Flynn, Aubrey Tai and Bart Mehrtens are starting out on a day of snail monitoring. Mt Stanley is home to one of New Zealand’s native giant land snail species, Powelliphanta hochstetteri obscura. New Zealand is home to at least 21 species and 51 sub-species of Powelliphanta snails, some of which can reach up to 90mm across – the size of a man’s fist!

10.00am

Central Plateau Operations Rangers Ray Packer and Anthony McNamara are hard at work on the Rotopounamu Track in the northern part of the Tongariro National Park. Amelia Willis explains:

“The team went in to clear a windfall on the popular track, and downloaded the track counter data on the way. The track receives an average of around 23,000 visitors annually – mostly families, school groups and tourists on their way to or from the mountains.

“The team also spend time at Rotopounamu working on pest management with volunteer group Project Tongariro. The area has been a focus of pest control for over 10 years through a successful community partnership, and the bird life really shows it! Riflemen and North Island robin are often seen, and the big birds are back – kākā, kererū and kārearea. Numbers have increased so much in the last few years, we even come here for 5-minute bird count training, and it’s really popular with birdwatchers.

“Not today though – the winter weather has kept the visitors away, so they’re in and out and heading back for lunch in no time.”

11.00am

Murupara-based operations ranger Hannah Flatman is finishing up her morning whio monitoring on the Whirinaki River.

“With the help of my whio dog, Pip, we keep an eye on the numbers of pairs found within the Whirinaki whio security site as well as seeing how many of their ducklings survive through to fledge. With the support of Genesis Energy we have almost 1,800 stoat traps protecting these whio, as well as other species, and at a last count we had 64 pairs on the main rivers and large sidestreams.

“Having a whio dog makes a huge difference to work I do every single day as she can find whio hiding in holes under the bank that would be easy to miss. Whio are only active in the early morning and evening so having the dog means we can cover more ground in a day than if I was working alone.”

Hannah Flatman and Pip keeping an eye on whio on the Whirinaki River.

11.45am

Taranaki-based operations ranger Mayer Levy, along with the rest of the Assets team, has been kept busy rerouting and marking the Taungatara Track on Mt Taranaki after several large tree windfalls fell in the last storm. The Taungatara Track is part of the popular Around the Mountain Circuit, a challenging 4-5 day track for experienced trampers.

12.00pm

Lunchtime arrives, but the work is just beginning for Wellington visitor centre ranger Don Herron, who’s filling in for island ranger Evan Ward on Matiu/Somes Island in Wellington Harbour. Don’s stacking firewood for the houses on the island as part of his duties.

“The sheep always come to check out what’s going on as Evan uses the tractor to feed them,” Don says.

12.30pm

Lunchtime beckons and rangers from DOC’s Hawke’s Bay office are heading out on their bikes for a ride along Napier’s Marine Parade, a new weekly tradition they’ve started. On this particular day the weather isn’t playing ball – but that doesn’t stop the team coming out to pose with their bikes and their new ‘Wild Bunch’ team emblem.

A ‘Wild Bunch’ of DOC Hawke’s Bay riders.

1.00pm

One of DOC Napier’s newer rangers, Lauren Buchholz, is experiencing her first helicopter ride. She and the Hawke’s Bay Recreation/Historic Services team are heading out on an overnight trip to service Te Puia Hut (Lodge), the district’s most popular backcountry hut.

“I was glued to the window throughout the flight as we soared over cliffs and past the bush-clad mountains lining the Mohaka River gorge. We landed gently right in front of the hut, cutting a three-hour trek down to about five minutes. The trampers who joined us later that evening were a bit envious!”

East Kaweka Helicopters pilot and owner/operator Chris Chrosse (left) and DOC Recreation/Historic ranger Casey Rhodes at the helicopter landing site in front of Te Puia Hut (Lodge) in Kaweka Forest Park.

1.30pm

Willie Abel digs out a concrete plinth at Ship Cove in Queen Charlotte Sound.

After lunch, we head over to Queen Charlotte Sound, where Leanne Flynn is supervising Outward Bound volunteers as they install signs and perform some maintenance along Queen Charlotte Track.

Meanwhile, over in Ship Cove, recreation ranger Willie Abel is digging out the concrete plinth around an old carved pou, which has been removed due to wood damage. It will take Willie two days to chip away at the concrete around the old plinth. It’s a beautiful historic spot – Ship Cove was Captain James Cook’s favourite New Zealand base during his three voyages of exploration.

Across the sound, rangers Gus Johnston and Joe Healey are installing a new containment tank at Ratimera Bay campsite, a popular DOC campsite featuring a long, sandy beach.

Gus and Joe install a new containment tank.

2.00pm

It’s time to check in on DOC’s famous RoyalCam albatross chick, Moana. Ranger Lyndon Perriman makes an appearance at 2pm every Tuesday to weigh the chick and deliver a supplementary feed if required. So far RoyalCam has had 485,000 views on Youtube and over 20,000 comments from keen followers. Moana will stay in the nest until she’s big enough to fledge, around September.

Meanwhile at Waikanae Estuary, biodiversity rangers Emma Rowell and Otis Berard are spending the afternoon spraying marram (Ammophila arenaria) to prepare the area for planting of natives, part of a project to restore the dunes to their natural state.

2.30pm

On the way back from Waikuku Lodge in Aorangi Forest Park, we check in with Masterton-based operations ranger Wiremu Grace, who’s been doing general repairs and maintenance to keep the Lodge in ship-shape condition for future visitors. Aorangi Forest Park lies between Martinborough in the north and Cape Palliser in the south. The Lodge is a converted farmhouse at the northern end of the forest park which can sleep 24 people in communal bunkrooms.

4.00pm

Ruby with Joe Harawira and Andrew Te Nahu (member of hapu group) at the conclusion of a successful meeting with whanau/hapu of Te Mahia.

Gisborne-based Treaty implementation ranger Ruby Mackey is finishing a meeting with the whanau/hapu of Te Mahia at Ruawharo Marae, Opoutama.

“We have begun a positive relationship with this group which includes the Iwi of Rongomaiwahine. I especially would like to thank  Joe Harawira, Director Strategic Partnerships/Treaty for supporting Operations Manager Gisborne, John Lucas, Senior Ranger, Community Rebecca Lander and myself on this day. It is important that when you meet whanau/hapu/Iwi on occasions such as this, that you take with you someone of the mana of Joe because it is not just his taha Maori you require but his knowledge of the business. No reira Joe tena koe mo to awhina kia matou o te Tairawhiti.”

5.00pm

In Hokitika – Western South Island, biodiversity rangers Antje Wahlberg and Derek Wills, along with senior biodiversity ranger Shane Cross are packing up to go home for the day when a report comes in of a baby whale stranded on the beach south of Hokitika.

“The tide was well on the retreat as the whale was a good 35-40 metres inland from the Tasman Sea; not a good place for such a small seagoing creature. The team placed it on a tarpaulin and sledged it back to the water. The whale had enough energy to propel itself, slowly gaining forward motion. The main concern was the shallow breakwater on the seaward side of the trough, once crossing that it could head into the deep water. As our luck would have it, the baby had that will to survive – job done by 6pm.”

Returning the baby whale to the water.

5.30pm

At the end of the day, biodiversity rangers Liam Falconer, Johnny Joseph and Aubrey Tai cool off after a long day on the hill clearing gorse and old man’s beard on D’Urville Island. Old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba) is one of the Dirty Dozen weeds targeted as part of the Department’s War On Weeds.

Cooling off after a day of clearing weeds.

9.00pm

The day is over for most rangers, but in Murupara, Bay of Plenty, the work continues – as biodiversity ranger Sarah Wills heads out with Dave Wills and volunteer Kathleen Torso to monitor bats in the Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park.

“At around 9pm we’re setting up a mist net to catch the bats, then extracting them and their bat fly passengers carefully from the net so we can measure them and fit transmitters to allow us to track them to their roosts.

“Short tailed bats have colonial roosts that can hold over 6,000 bats. We’ll find the roosts over the next couple of days then set up video cameras to count how many bats are using each roost… once we find the area where most of the colonial roosts are (they use several different ones each year) we’ll know where to put the predator control to protect them.”

The bat monitoring team comes out at night.

Te Kuiti Biodiversity Ranger Doug Taucher retires on Monday. Read some of Doug’s recollections from his 43 years as a ranger.

At work

Wallaby control

How long have you been a ranger?

I was part of the class of 1974 at Golden Downs Woodsman Training School, where I worked and trained for two years before my third year placement at Santoff Forest near Bulls.

I quickly decided that silviculture wasn’t for me. After my placement I transferred into Environmental Forestry, predominantly undertaking pest control activities.

In 1987 the Forest Service became part of DOC, and so did I.

On the day I finish (officially Monday) I will have been a ranger for 43 years. Exactly.

Some things I do in my current job?

Fire control including training, fencing, CLE (compliance and law enforcement), freshwater fish monitoring, marine mammal monitoring, and helping with goat control operations.

How does this help achieve DOC’s vision?

Helping to create functioning ecosystems, and ensuring respect for Conservation Law.

Back in my goat control days

What have been the highlights of your job?

There have been a few, but a couple of events stick out in my mind.

We once had a report of some rimu that had been felled in Pureora, and we went to visit the adjoining neighbour. We arrived just as the bulldozer was pulling the said rimu across the park boundary and onto the neighbour’s land. We recovered the rimu, and seized the bulldozer. Bad day for the neighbour, and a great day for us.

Fire work, the fire in Arthur’s Pass in 2001 (at the time the most expensive fire ever to be extinguished in the area), and my overseas deployment to Victoria, Australia in 2014.

On a personal note

15 minutes of fame…

I appeared in an episode of Country Calendar in 1981 about goat control on Mount Pirongia.

Retirement resolutions…

I have no outstanding projects to do, and we’re moving away. So the things I should be doing on my house are going to be someone else’s problem after the sale.

The only resolution I have is to get in my bus and visit all the places I haven’t seen in 40 years – and all the places I haven’t seen at all.

My happy place is…

On the beach. Can’t wait to be living there full-time.

In my spare time…

I am a hunter/gatherer/fisher/gardener. Hopefully there will be time to indulge these passions in between meeting my retirement resolution.

Deep and meaningful

My secret (not so secret) indulgence is…

Pudding.

What’s the one thing you would have liked to have done?

It’s not the time for regrets, but I wish I’d been able to work on Raoul Island.

I wanted to go, but in those days, only single men could work on the Island and I was getting married during the time I was supposed to be away, so I couldn’t go.

After that I was married, so I couldn’t go. By the time they let woman and married men go to Raoul my circumstances had changed, and I missed that opportunity.

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is…

DOC cannot do this alone, so I encourage everyone in New Zealand to take part in some project or activity that will help conservation.

Keep this country the way we know it – paradise.

On a lonely beach

By Anna Elwarth, Community Ranger

Ian “Muscles” Read recently retired after working for DOC since 1987 — and a combined 52 years of state service.

Ian “Muscles” Read

At 72 his body is giving him the messages to retire, but his mind (driven for ‘getting stuff done’) is still catching up with the idea.

Ian is a man with an array of practical skills. The legend goes that he can achieve in four hours what other rangers would achieve in six.

Fire training

Colleague Jimmy Johnson explains: “He has a drive to get stuff done with incredible input and enthusiasm.”

Ian is the last standing of the ‘three amigos’, ‘the field guys’ with retired colleagues Barry Hannah and Allan Rainer.

Barry was the one who nicknamed Ian “Muscles”, as when something in the field was declared not possible to achieve, Ian would pipe up “I’ll do it”.

Ian led many bio and rec jobs over the years. He is a fire crew leader, pump operator and fire engine driver, where, in his words, “I’ve seen enough fires”.

He also carries the local name ‘The Mower Man’.

The Mower Man

In recent times, he was a driving force behind the practicalities of building a whio aviary for the hardening facility at the Tongariro National Trout Centre.

A favourite project was his involvement in the biannual Kaimanawa Wild Horse muster.

He is ‘world famous’ in Turangi and has a large knowledge of the area. He knows a lot about the access points, vegetation and weeds.

Chainsaw work

More evidence to Ian’s enthusiasm, Jimmy explains he will even come in on his days off to let the team know how things are best done.

“We are trying to glean this knowledge from him before he leaves”.

Muscles is a great mentor. He would give time to the younger rangers who would first show him their worth.

In the last four years he has worked with a Department of Corrections initiative where rehabilitating inmates from Rangipo prison are assisting DOC with tracks and predator work.

The inmates held Ian’s mana in such high regard that as a leaving gift they have carved him a walking stick featuring two stags and trout – icons and taonga of the Turangi area.

Overseeing the whio aviary build

Ian’s 52 years state service started in the early 1960s in the Pest Destruction Board and NZ Army.

This was followed by 20 years working for the Ministry of Works on local power developments – Tongariro, Mangakino and Matahina – as a crew boss, tunneller and rigger.

He worked as a labourer and leading hand for the Forest Service between projects before DOC was born.

His rigging skills are said to have transferred well to building DOC bridges!

Bridge work

His volunteer service carries similarly impressive records.

Ian volunteered for the Turangi St John ambulance for 40 years, being promoted to ‘Officer of the Order of St John’ in 2007.

He has also given 10 years to search and rescue.

Turangi Operations Manager Dave Lumley who has known Ian since pre-DOC-days says he and others will miss their workmate.

“He has continued to provide inspiration to younger up and coming colleagues, and will be sorely missed in the team for his enthusiasm and local knowledge. At 72 he has worked well past retirement age and I’m glad for his sake that he has finally retired while he is still fit and able.” – Dave Lumley

Ian is already committing himself to voluntary conservation work – helping with a national biodiversity seed rain project at Paengaroa and a predator trapping line or two at Rotopounamu with community conservation group Project Tongariro.

Overseeing the whio aviary build

There will also be a fair amount of sea fishing!

These practical legends are leaving DOC with the next generation racing after them with a pen and paper, and hopefully with the drive to fill the big boots, and weight training to lift the big loads.

We know we’ll be seeing you in the workshop for a cuppa Muscles!

Sharing a cuppa with colleagues in a DOC hut

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile the Fairy Tern Team…

Last week we farewelled this team for the 2016/2017 breeding season and thanked them for their hard work and dedication.

The Fairy Tern Team

The team comes together for a short period of time each year for a specific purpose – the breeding season of the New Zealand fairy tern/tara-iti. They started in October 2016 and finished last week.

The New Zealand fairy tern/tara-iti is probably our most threatened bird with approximately 40 remaining. During this breeding season five birds fledged. 

The team

Team name: Fairy Tern Team.

Team Leader: Eliane Lagnaz.

Ayla Wiles

Fairy Tern Wardens: Ayla Wiles, Sarah Pearson and Laura Patience.

Supervisor: Dave Bolland.

Technical Advisors: Tony Beauchamp, Dave Wilson (not pictured) and Nigel Miller (not pictured).

Office: The team is based out of the Whangarei District Office, but monitors fairy terns at nesting sites at Papakanui South Head (Ayla), Pakiri (Eliane), Waipu (Sarah) and Mangawhai (Laura).

What is one interesting fact about each team member?

Sarah interviewed for the warden job while in Cambodia and Laura was on Anchor Island with kākāpō. Ayla worked with a new species of lizard while at university and this year was Eliane;s 10th year working with fairy tern. All the other wardens came new to the roles in October 2016.

What are your team’s favourite things?

Dave: Guitar.

Ayla: Dog Lily.

Eliane: Liquorice tea.

Sarah: Swimming in the ocean. This summer I managed the trifecta – swimming in an ocean, lake and river on the same day.

Laura: Being outside in nature.

Tony: Peace and quiet.

What are your team’s pet peeves?

Dave: Dogs.

Ayla: Littering.

Tony: People who, despite our best efforts to inform them how to keep fairy terns safe, still ignore signage and barriers to let dogs run loose or walk through the breeding sites. The damage dogs can do is devastating and long lasting. One of our main jobs is to educate dog owners – not only for fairy tern, but kiwi and other species.

Hard at work

What’s your team’s role at DOC?

We are fairy tern 24/7! We started in October and finished at the end of February.

We do nest protection, advocacy and education, media, reporting, collection of data, volunteer management, and trapping. Basically, we keep an eye on the birds and everything associated with them.

Sarah keeping an eye on the fairy terns

How does this help DOC achieve our goals?

The diversity of our natural heritage is maintained and restored. We look after what is probably our most threatened bird, one that is on the verge of extinction, for future generations. The work we do on the ground also benefits the surrounding habitat and species with advocacy, trapping and so on.

What guides you in your work?

The weather and the tides! Birds construct their nests on exposed, low-lying areas of shell-covered sand. The nest is a simple scrape in the sand, set amidst the shells and is very susceptible to storms and tides. Our work is heavily guided by what the weather throws at us during the breeding season.

What is the hardest part about your team’s work?

Each of the four breeding sites face different challenges, but the weather and tides are hard, along with trying to get the general public aware of the challenges and how to help or, at least, not hinder.

What is the best part of your job?

Imagine getting to be part of an endangered species breeding process – we get to watch it all happen. The before (getting the nest ready), the eggs and the fledgling. How often does this happen? That is incredibly special and undoubtedly the best part of the job.

Fairy tern at Mangawhai. Photo: Laura Patience

Main threats to fairy tern

Breeding area of the fairy tern

Habitat depletion

The degradation of sand dune habitat caused by residential development, the planting of pine plantations, and pastoral farming.

Predation

Introduced predators such as rats, dogs, cats, hedgehogs and mustelids preying upon eggs and chicks.

Environmental events

High tides, floods, and storms destroying and washing away nests.

Death of embryos

Nesting birds are eaten or chased away by predators, and the embryos die from exposure.

Recreational activities

Beach activities disturb nests and scare birds away from their nests.

Sarah watching at Waipu

Myrtle rust – Kerikeri, Taranaki and Te Kuiti

On 12 May Martyn Dunne, CEO Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and myself visited our joint MPI/DOC myrtle rust response team working out of our Kerikeri Office.

Staff told me of the excellent experience they were gaining working in an MPI led Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) structure; with some very advanced GIS technology that essentially plots all staff movement and work searching for myrtle rust within the biosecurity control zone.

Meeting with the Myrtle Rust Iwi liaison group. From left: Martyn Dunne – MPI CEO, Nora Rameka – Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rehia and Lou Sanson

DOC’s role has been to check for signs of infection; and to take seed from 28 of our potentially most threatened Myrtaceae species from all over the North Island and the top of the South Island, for storage in the New Zealand Indigenous Flora Seed Bank in Palmerston North.

DOC has very good support from iwi to do this.

We have also been communicating with our parks management counterparts in Queensland, New South Wales and Hawaii on what they are seeing in plants similar to our mānuka, rata and pōhutakawa species 6 years (Australia) and 13 years (Hawaii) on from when myrtle rust established there.

In Hawaii national parks the impacts of myrtle rust have been of less concern than the new fungal disease they now have, which is attacking and killing ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha).

The impacts of myrtle rust in Australia however are dictated by the climate – with it being a problem in the moist seasons and becoming a lesser problem in the dry seasons.

Sadly, myrtle rust was confirmed in Taranaki last Friday and in Te Kuiti yesterday.

DOC has up to 125 staff of 300 total deployed from across agencies for myrtle rust response.

This is DOC’s biggest deployment to a cross agency response in 30 years; demonstrating the gravity of the problem New Zealand native plants and primary industry now face.

Let’s hope the huge efforts at Kerikeri, in Taranaki and now Te Kuiti, and ongoing science prevent significant impacts in New Zealand.

Sincere thanks to everyone who has helped with the response.

MPI biosecurity staff bury potting mix in Kerikeri nursery

Great Walks bookings

Last week we opened our Great Walks bookings after putting some our prices up between 20 and 30%. Our website was taking 6,200 page requests a minute for Milford Track and by end of the first day 6,000 of our available 7,500 spaces were sold.

We also saw a 75% increase in bookings on day one for the Routeburn Track and a 90% increase on the Kepler Track.

Sincere thanks to our visitor booking teams and IT staff in Wellington and Te Anau for handling such an unprecedented day.

Dulux partnership

I was very pleased to be joined by the General Manger of Dulux New Zealand, Jevan Dickinson, to sign a new 3-year sponsorship agreement around DOC huts and buildings.

Jevan Dickinson, Dulux New Zealand and Lou Sanson signing the new 3-year paint sponsorship

Through this agreement, we have renewed our partnership and are looking to the future to build on the strong foundation of the first agreement.

The partnership with Dulux has provided thousands of litres of paint that has been applied to not only DOC owned and manged huts and buildings but also community owned and managed buildings on DOC land through the community contribution scheme. While painting a hut or building doesn’t directly contribute to biodiversity it does play a massive part in lifting appearance, experience of and pride in our huts and buildings and the impact of being able to support a community to paint a structure through providing paint cannot be underestimated.

Newton Creek Hut. The hut was painted by the Outdoor Recreation Consortium with paint from the Dulux partnership

NZ Search and Rescue awards

I was delighted to be present when DOC’s Aoraki/Mt Cook Alpine Rescue Team and The Helicopter Line Glentanner Park pilot Troy Feck were presented with one of the 2016 NZ Search and Rescue Awards for saving the lives of five mountaineers over eight weeks in November – December 2016. All were high altitude rescues on Aoraki/Mount Cook, Elie de Beaumont, Mount Tasman and Copland Pass.

DOC community ranger Ray Bellringer, from the Aoraki/Mt Cook Alpine Rescue Team, also received an individual award for his commitment and services to search and rescue.

Last summer was highly unusual with winter snow conditions through to February this year, very poor weather and for our first time in over a decade no mountaineering deaths recorded in Westland Tai Poutini or Aoraki/Mount Cook national parks.

Proudly, DOC’s Alpine Rescue Team led by Andy Tindall worked incredibly hard in difficult conditions to deliver this remarkable achievement.

DOC is justly proud of what they have achieved and their Search and Rescue Awards.

From to right. Dave Dittmer – Senior Ranger Recreation/Search and Rescue Aoraki/Mount Cook, Troy Feck – Senior Search and Rescue Pilot The Helicopter Line, Ray Bellringer – Community Ranger Aoraki/Mount Cook, Andy Tindall – Senior Team Leader Search and Rescue Aoraki/Mount Cook

Wild Creations

Last week Minister Barry launched Wild Creations. A programme that I believe is a significant opportunity to connect a whole range of New Zealanders to Our Nature and the value of conservation; and our cultural heritage to our national identity.

Creative NZ is putting in an annual stipend of $36,000 and DOC is providing opportunities to have some of New Zealand’s most prominent and up-and-coming artists work alongside DOC during our less busy time of year. Initially, the programme will be for up to three artists a year.

This launch is a revitalisation of an earlier collaboration. Five years ago, DOC had an Artists in Residence programme.

When I was CEO of Antarctica New Zealand, I was hugely proud of the Artists to Antarctica and Invited Artists programmes and am certain Wild Creations will be highly successful in interpreting the value of tangata whenua and conservation stories through art to New Zealanders.

Wild Creations was launched with Minister Barry and senior executive of Creative NZ at DOC managed historic building, Fort Takapuna, which overlooks the Waitematā Harbour.

Renowned artist, and past recipient, Fiona Pardington presented her support and reflected on the inspiration she takes from nature. “Nothing exists outside of nature. Thought, life, us.”

A small ensemble from Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra played at the event which reminded us that creativity takes all sensory forms.

Artist Fiona Pardington, Arts Council of NZ Chair Michael Moynahan and Minister Maggie Barry at the Wild Creations launch

This week we’re celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week 2017. DOC’s Outreach and Education Coordinator, Ben Moorhouse tells us about his journey learning Te Reo and what it means to him and his role.

Why did you decide to learn Te Reo?

I moved to Ōtepoti (Dunedin) from the UK in 2011 to study for my PhD but it wasn’t until mid last year that I fully committed to the idea of staying in Aotearoa and starting the process to become an official resident. It was at that point that my reo journey started, I more or less said to myself, ‘right, you want to be a resident of this amazing country, currently you can only converse in one of the three national languages – better do some mahi!’.

I think the second driving moment for me to start learning Te Reo was that as a scientist and a passionate educator I realised that I was limiting myself and my audience (youth of Aotearoa) by only working in English – it was definitely time to jump into that waka reo and start having important kōrero i Te Reo Māori.

How is Te Reo important in your role at DOC?

Incredibly important – as a member of the DOC Outreach and Education Team we want to get all young people in New Zealand connecting with nature and feeling the value of that connection. I’m a long way off from having a full conversation in Te Reo, but it’s incredible to see the difference it makes when you use a few words that young people feel connected to and comfortable using in their rohe. Building up whanaungatanga with people by showing you care through language is so rewarding!

Do you have any tips for learning Te Reo?

Don’t be shy – jump in! No one will judge you! Being British I had no idea about vowel sounds and had no previous exposure to Te Reo! Since getting started I have yet to come across anyone who frowned at me or laughed at me, everyone just wants to help and are full of praise!

Online Resources

A great place to start for me was an awesome online resource called Tōku Reo – a language learning TV show that’s a vibrant and fun way of learning Te Reo Māori in the comfort of your own home. All the episodes are available online and each episode is roughly 25 minutes with a 5-minute podcast and practice questions to complement! Māori Dictionary  – This is an unbelievably amazing resource for checking Māori words or phrases.

Get a language app! I use Memrise which has a few different Te Reo programmes you can follow. I tend to spend 5 minutes on this app most days and it’s an easy way to get some kupu in your noggin! I usually do it while I’m walking, on the bus, at lunchtime, while waiting for the coffee to brew etc! It doesn’t take long but can be really rewarding!

Start using Te Reo Māori words you know – At first I consciously had to think to say kia ora and it felt a bit weird for the first few times – now I say it all the time and don’t even realise. Even family and friends back home have gotten used to it and my mum will always answer the phone to me with kia ora!

Think of other fun ways you can use Te Reo

One of my favourite ways of using Te Reo at the moment is on Instagram. I’ve made it a new rule of mine that every time I post a picture I have to type the first bit in Te Reo. It’s a fun way for me to learn and I can spend a bit of time working it out – which also means I’m learning! I bought a 2017 diary in both English and Te Reo which is a great way to get days and months into my head! Or learn a new waiata and its meaning!

If you can – sign up to a class. See if there’s one being run at your DOC office! I have learnt so much and increased my confidence just by being with other people learning and practicing.

Ask Questions – If you don’t know a word or having trouble pronouncing something don’t ignore it, see if you can find someone to ask. I promise they’ll be more than happy to help!

What’s the best thing about learning Te Reo?

The people! I’ve made so many new friends – that’s got to be a great win eh?!

Looking deeper, Te Reo is so connected to Te Ao Māori that you’re not only gaining knowledge of a language but you’re learning how to connect with an incredible and beautiful culture that’s so enriching. It’s important for all of us to understand what our appropriate place is in Te Ao Māori but I tell you what – it’s so worth putting the work in.

Do you have any advice for those wanting to learn but are unsure of how to start?

Like I said above, don’t worry about it. The sooner you stop worrying the sooner you can enjoy it! There’s heaps of resources out there that appeal to lots of different learning styles so find one that suits you. It doesn’t matter what your journey is, in a class, with a colleague or at home talking to your pets, what’s important is that you’re on the journey.

Kia ora e hoa mā! Kia kaha!!

This week we’re celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week 2017. DOC’s Business Support Manager, Wendy Evans shares how Te Reo is woven through her DOC and raranga journey.

What is your role?

Kei te raranga a Wendy

I am a Business Support Manager/Pou Tautoko Kaipaakihi in the Planning, Permissions and Land Unit.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Working with adventurous people to create change and new ways of doing things.

How do you think Te Reo is relevant to our work at DOC?

For me it is a gateway into understanding more about Te Ao Maori/the Māori world. It’s hard to separate Te Reo from other aspects of Māori culture, like manaakitanga/looking after visitors, whanaungatanga/supporting each other, and wairua/the living essence of all things.

DOC manages an enormous amount of public conservation land – 8.6 million hectares – all of which was historically resources of Māori. I feel it’s important for me to understand why the lands and waters and protected species we manage are important to Māori, and how I can help iwi/hapu/whanau reconnect with these resources.

A friend’s mokos learning hākuku with Wendy

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I spent most of my non-work time in the last year learning about raranga/ weaving through Te Wananga O Aotearoa in Porirua. I’m now enjoying weaving without the assignments!  I’m also planting more pā harakeke/flax plantations of special weaving varieties for the future.

Wendy’s partly complete kete whakairo.

What are your favourite kupu raaranga?

There is a lot of te reo raranga/language associated with weaving. I enjoy learning the traditional techniques, tikanga and specialised kupu/words which help keep Te Reo alive. Kete whiri are kete that where the weaving is started with a whiri or plait.To weavers kete whiri also implies certain tikanga and preparation to have the harakeke/flax in the right state for the whiri to be plaited.

Kete whakairo in nihoniho pattern, made of kiekie (white), pīngao (yellow) and dyed harakeke (red and purple), with taonga.

Kete whakairo are fine pattered kete, and again weavers will talk about kete whakairo and imply the level of skill and knowledge of patterns required to make this work. I’m still tuning my ear though! I had to ask someone the difference recently between whakairo (patterns) and whakaaro (an explanation or understanding about something) to make sure I was using the right word!

It’s interesting that some phrases used in raranga have a different but related meanings in normal Māori life. For example kaupapa means a theme or philosophy. In raranga kaupapa is the term for the underlying construction of a kākahu/cloak to which the feathers are attached. The first row of muka/thread in tāniko/patterned finger weaving determines the pattern and is called te aho tapu/the sacred thread. Conceptually te aho tapu is also used to describe whakapapa/ lineage – the sacred [umbilical ]cord connecting generations.

The partly complete kete muka in tāniko.

There are Māori words that describe an object, that pop up as names for patterns in raranga. For example pātikitiki is a flounder. Kete with a pātikitiki pattern have bold repeating diamonds, and this pātikitiki pattern also can be found on tukutuku panels in wharenui/meeting houses. Niho means teeth and a kete with rows of triangles is descibed as having a nihoniho pattern.

Weaving has given me enormous respect for the ingenuity of Māori in using natural materials for vessels, clothing and housing. Harakeke yields silky muka/fibre through hākuku/skilled scraping with a kuku/mussel shell. How cool is that? And several native trees yield wairākau/dye (literally “water from trees”)  which can turn that muka bright yellow, rich rust or black (with the help of special swamp paru/mud).  Paru is a real treasure and can be hard to find. I got some friends to come and gather lots of paru from large earthworks at the Hutt motorway/SH 58 intersection before it was all covered up.

Wendy and Mahalia digging paru from the State Highway 58/State Highway 2 construction site, March 2016

What I love about my journey in Te Whare Pora/The House of Weaving is that there is always something new to learn.

Atia te wahine i roto i te pa harakeke.

Marry the woman found in the flax bush (for she is a weaver and very useful!)