John Dodgson, known to his friends simply as “J.D”, has been a part of the Weedbusting” scene in the North King Country for more than 20 years. I first met John when he was working for DoC leading the weed-crew doing battle against Contorta Pine, D...

Students from Kimbolton School have been involved in a range of Weedbusting activities over the last five years. They started by recognising there was a problem at the Kimbolton Scenic Bush Reserve and have been working there ever since. One of the...

One class at Murrays Bay Primary School, (Trish Best and her year 3 class) has worked through 2007 to clear an area of the school grounds that was infested by weeds. Their plan was to make it into a secret garden, planted with native plants and tree...

Whareama School has been involved in dune planting at Riversdale Beach for several years. They have come at the request of the Dune Committee, at Riversdale Beach, which has received Regional Council funding for dune restoration. The school has bee...

The Yellow Bristle Grass Action Group was established in June 2006 in response to growing concern that this annual summer grass was spreading rapidly onto dairy pastures on a number of farms in the Waipa district. The grass was avoided by stock, diff...

When we bought this farm in 1984, the fences around and through the bush had fallen into disrepair. there weer almost no seedlings, saplings, ferns or regrowth of any description. We fenced off the bush in the first year and soon started to see fer...

Sally and her husband Tim have an 89ha block of flat and rolling hills on Bay Paddock Road, Kaikoura. The block contains many nooks and crannies of natives which the Blunts protect, care for and maintain with pride and through many hours of hard work...

The South Hokianga Ginger Group have been operating since the 1990’s and were formed due to the community concern over the continued spread of wild Ginger. Ginger has had a presence in the area for around 100 years, with historical evidence of early...

Sue and her partner have been removing weeds from their property for years now (see excerpt from a recent email below). They also helped hook up a neighbour with DOC so some Chilean Flamecreeper could be controlled on their neighbour’s land. She’s al...

Waiheke is the second weediest island in the world! Weedbusters are fighting back.

Waiheke’s weed invasion is threatening the Waiheke that we know and love. There are weeds in reserves, people’s gardens, around the coastline and on the ro...

I would like to nominate the team who have cleared the Awahou Stream from Central Road in Hamurana to almost the source of the Stream.

Yaap and Sue van Dorser with their friends Ham and Jan Gifford who are all in their 70's, have for th...

The Bream Bay Coastal Care Trust was formed in 2006, primarily to assist the Department of Conservation with the care of approximately 700 hectares of coastal land, which comprise the Departments Bream Bay Coastal Estate. This coastal land which we c...

Brian has put in countless hours of effort on our local reserves, alongside our committee, for the last seven years. He has helped us plant over 6000 trees, during these years, and his efforts in releasing and watering the young plants has greatly in...

The Bushland Trust was established in 1990 and currently has 7 members. Its major aim is the preservation of the unique Sweetwater Lakes and wetlands, which lie approximately 20 km northwest of Kaitaia.

The aims of the Trust are to:

Castlecliff Coastal Reserve is a 25 hectare area of coastal dunes, which are natural but indirectly man-made. The dunes have grown since the North Mole was built for harbour protection. The coastal reserve was designated as a premier park, but has ...

CPBS has been functioning for 30 years in Centennial Park, Campbells Bay, North Shore City. Under the guidance of chairman Pat Morton, the society has been slowly restoring the main bush in the valley. Four years ago the Bush Society was revitalised ...

This elderly couple have taken responsibility for a small FNDC reserve adjacent to Edmonds ruins and have worked hard to remove weeds and replant with natives. They have done a magnificent job, mostly out of their own pocket, and spent countless hou...

Already our group of volunteers have helped the reserve’s managers for years in projects such as planting, weeding and transplanting.

Some of the activities ‘Friends of Gordon Park’ are involved in include weed control, animal pest contro...

Nomination 1: Tradescantia (Tradescantia fluminensis) is a major environmental weed in New Zealand, and was a major problem at Kitchener Park, Feilding. Several groups have been working to remove this weed, including Keep Feilding Beautiful, people ...

Under a manuka kanuka forest the native nursery is being completely smothered by asparagus scandens, an escaped garden plant, which is capable of destroying our forests. Birds love to eat the little red berries and quickly spread the seeds. Once ...

FROGS is a local group of residents who for many years have been involved in environmental activities within the Glen community. At the very first meeting of Weedbusters in Nelson back in 2003, one of the FROGS members arrived holding an armload of ‘...

Lake Koromatua is a small peat lake on the south-west side of Hamilton City. The lake is part of Lake Koromatua Wildlife Management Reserve which is managed by the Department of Conservation. The Hamilton Fish and Game Association (primarily Keith S...

Ian has been involved with the Port Hills Ranger Service, Christchurch City Council, for at least 9 years. His voluntary efforts have included not only weed control work, but regular (monthly) animal pest control and monitoring work in the bush remna...

Mrs Jean Buswell has lived in the Tarawera area for many years. She is a widow in her late 70s. Since its inception, in about 1999, she has been a leader and committee member of the Tarawera Pest Control Project, which is aimed at the eradication o...

The Jubilee Care group was originally formed around November 2004 with Katherine Hay co-ordinating the group of local residents, students and interested volunteers. The area the group has undertaken is Jubilee Park, a 5.2 Hectare kahikatea-dominated ...

Julie McLintock is affectionately known in her local community as “the weed lady”. Julie moved to her Cable Bay property 10 years ago and since then has been a tireless worker on both her own land (that borders the Cable Bay estuary), neighbouring pr...

Keith Briden has been working for some years killing boneseed on public land around the hillsides of Sumner and Godley Head. In summer he is a hunter and fisherman, but his winter weekends are devoted to killing boneseed. Keith does this work mainl...

The Lake Kaniere Property Owners Association formed a sub-group of keen weedbusters in early 2006. Since then members of the group have met regularly to control a range of species on roadsides, reserve areas, and private land at Lake Kaniere. They ha...

Mauao or "the Mount" is an iconic landmark in the Bay of Plenty region at the entrance to the Tauranga Harbour. This extinct volcanic cone attracts tens of thousands of people throughout the year who are keen to walk to the summit (over 200 mtres ab...

Work is being done by 7 motivated people on a forest block behind the east end of Little Munroe Beach that is in the process of being donated by the Vinson family to the Whangarei District Council.

Eleagnus is a massive problem in the bl...

The Mount Somers Walkways Society first established an interest in the catchment of Woolshed Creek when as the Mount Somers Walkway Society (a subtle name change brought about through change) they set about the task of forming the Mount Somers Walkwa...

Just over one year ago the residents living near the DoC Reserve known as the Reotahi Scenic Reserve decided to form a Landcare Group to tackle the weeds of the reserve.

Generous support from the NRC enabled them to purchase herbicides, m...

Peter Pearce is the Vice-Chairman of the Hibiscus Coast Forest and Bird Society. Peter has been a supporter and volunteer of the Raroa
restoration project, Whangaparoa, since its inception in 2003. the land is a DOC reserve and Forest & Bird...

We are a group of very hard working, dedicated people aged between 16 and 55 years old, who are part of an organisation known as Pou Whakaaro.

Pou Whakaaro is a non profit, Charitable Trust that offers day services and programmes for adul...

Te Puna Estuary Managers Inc. was formed as a community group in December 2003. The key driver was the increasing invasive spread of mangroves in the Te Puna estuary, Tauranga. A committee was formed and a strategic action plan developed. This showed...

The Ohau Conservation Trust’s fourth year of existence has seen its efforts in combating wilding conifers, broom and sweet briar bring many rewards, with the promise of greater ones to come. Work undertaken has focussed primarily on public land: Co...

Tracy Wilson is the Parks and Reserves manager with the Kawerau District Council. In 2003 an application was made by the District Council for funding from Environment Bay of Plenty's Enhancement Fund to restore the Monika Lanham Reserve to its origi...

Waihi District Walkways was established in 1998 and currently comprises some 60+ members with representation from a wide variety of community organisations as well as local and regional authorities. From the outset, Waihi Walkways have worked toward...

Wakefield, a significant village in the colonial history of New Zealand, was settled early by country people from England - farmers, hop growers and sawmillers – and also the militia. It has the oldest still-operating church in NZ, and one of the ol...

Ngatimoti school is a small rural school of 82 children, located 20kms from Motueka. The school overlooks Kahurangi National Park and is within walking distance of the beautiful Motueka River.

Environmental studies is embedded into the sc...

I have great pleasure in nominating Jean Hawkins for a Weedbuster award. I was introduced to Jean as our neighbour at the Maunu cemetery some months ago. Jean is a very good neighbour and we, at the time, were not so good. Despite her best efforts Je...

Weedbusting has been an integral part of the MECG’s commitment to the restoration of streams running through Murchison township. The group has worked with DOC, TDC, Landcare and landowners since 2003 to fence stock out of streams on private and publ...

The Tiffany Bush Care Group was formed in 2003 by 5 landowners who were concerned with removing the weeds that threatened the bush and riparian areas on their properties. The work includes animal pest control and re-vegetation where appropriate. Th...

3rd Age Adventures is an initiative started by the Aoraki Polytechnic in Timaru to help people over 60 to remain active in the outdoors. One member of the group spent a week as a volunteer with DOC and subsequently suggested that the group should of...

Barrett Bush is a 5ha remnant of lowland kahikatea forest on the edge of Hamilton City. It is a scenic reserve and is owned by the Department of Conservation. Friends of Barrett Bush has its beginnings with the Hamilton Tui 2000 Group. Members spo...

A dedicated band of local volunteer people (semi retired/retired) The Friends of Taumarumaru Reserve are local residents of the area who have initiated a weed control regime and native tree planting programme on areas of reserve that have been approv...

For many years the Hokonui Tramping club has undertaken weed control in the Hokonui Hills near Gore as part of their track maintenance programme (which is run under contract with DoC Southland). This weedbusting has mainly consisted of removing gorse...

Joe Arts and sister Nicky, both residents of Huntsbury Hill, are absolutely dedicated boneseed weedbusters on local CCC reserve land, roadside reserve or wherever they find boneseed growing.

In 2005 and 2006 when local community bonesee...

The Kurow Town Enhancement Group is working on Kurow Island to create a recreational and ecological area that will benefit people, wildlife and the environment. Kurow Island has been a dumping ground for rubbish for many years and weed coverage was ...

The type of weedbusting work being undertaken is eradication of wilding pines and briar in the Lakes Alexandrina and McGregor area. To date, since September 2006, we have worked 1493 hours in 11 organised work days. Because of the physical area invol...

The Lindis Pass Conservation Group (Inc. Society) was formed in December 2004 when the DOC Twizel Area Office approached Forest and Bird Upper Clutha members to suggest forming a community group to do work in the reserve at the Lindis Pass as a possi...

When Margaret Peace arrived to live in Blind Creek Road, Tuamarina, in the mid 1970s, the creek itself was nothing more than a weed infested waste land over the stop-bank behind her home. Since that time her ambition was to transform the area into i...

As convenor of The Governors Bay Landcare Group and the Governors Bay Community Association, Sally Tripp deserves particular recognition for her continued significant contribution to control of Old Man's Beard and other weeds in the Governor's Bay ar...

The Summit Road Society’s weekend working party, the “Weekenders”, have made another significant contribution to weed control on the Port Hills in 2007. This group of about 5 – 8 people have been volunteering for 3 hours every month over the last 3 y...

The Watson Creek Restoration Project Steering Committee was formed in June 2002 following a public meeting on site after the Grey District Council cleaned out Watson Creek, removing all vegetation, straightening the stream and creating uniform bank a...

"St. Peter’s College came on camp to Borland Lodge in May 2004. They mentioned that they would like to work on a conservation project close to their school. The enthusiasm of the students and their passion for the outdoors came across so strongly I...

"Kew Bush is a 3.3 ha podocarp dominant forest remnant that stands in the Southland District Health Board's hospital grounds in South Invercargill. In the late 1980's the area was protected in perpetuity with the placing of a QEII Open Space Covenan...

"At 81 years of age very few people are still climbing trees to remove mothplant pods from spreading their deadly contents over the area! But becoming an octogenarian hasn't dampened George Wilson's obsession with weed control, or his commitment to d...

"The group has been working for several years going out regularly to clear the weeds from the walking track around the Ahuriri Estuary. The weeds include wild sweet pea, smilax, lupin, boneseed, fennel and wattle. DOC staff use herbicides to contro...

"I became a member of the BPCT in 2002. To find a niche in the organisation that would suit me I suggested we start a restoration group. It’s initial aim was the eradication of weeds on landowners' private property that had been covenanted, or was ab...

"IN SHORT:

Catherine Brimecombe started Broombusters; secured funding for continuance of project to 2008; commited the community and combined the managers; raised awareness of the growing problem of weeds; and has plans in place for futu...

"Mt Stewart is a native reserve on State Highway One in the middle of the town of Taihape. It is owned by DOC but vested in the Rangitkei District Council for management and control purposes.

Control of Old man’s beard, (OMB), was start...

"Te Mata Park is a public park gifted to the people of Hawke’s Bay by the Chambers family in 1927. It’s 94 ha, and is part of the backdrop to Havelock North. The park is one of the most visited places in Hawke’s Bay: it’s where everyone takes their v...

"Hamurana Springs Incorporated Society(HSIS) was formed by the Hamurana community out concern for the dilapidated state that the Hamurana Springs Recreation Reserve had become under the two previous concession holders.

The Hamurana Spring...

"Raroa Reserve is located on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, on Stanmore Bay Road. The grounds of the original Whangaparaoa Primary School for the period 1902 to 1962, the reserve is now owned by the Department of Conservation. The site slopes to the eas...

"This voluntary group began its work after the New Zealand Electricity Department (NZED) was disbanded and replaced by the state-owned entity, Contact Energy. When the NZED built the control structure during the 1950s to manage the supply of water t...

"The work of the Lindis Pass Conservation Group is aimed at ridding the Lindis Pass Reserve of exotic weeds, so that the naturally occurring plants – most visibly Chionochloa rigida (snow tussock) – can be enjoyed in their full glory in the reserve. ...

"Weedbusting has been carried out at the Manuka Reserve for the five years of its existence. This reserve has been created on 1.5 hectares of land in Lansdowne Masterton. Over 15,000 plants are growing where just 5 years ago cattle grazed. The tre...

"The North Shore Branch of Forest and Bird wanted to do something special to mark the new Millennium and decided in 1999 to adopt the North Shore City Council’s Tuff Crater reserve. The objective was to revegetate what was mainly a bare grassy area ...

"Since the start of the Nukuhou Marshlands Care Group in 2003 many hours have been spent clearing weeds, planting natives and doing other work to enhance the marshlands. Weeds that were targeted in 2003-2004 during weeding bees included wattle, pampa...

"The Ohau Conservation Trust has come into existence to promote awareness of the special values of the high country environment of the Lake Ohau area in South Canterbury and North Otago, to undertake a programme of environmental care and restoration ...

"Progress Castlecliff Inc is the weedbusting group tackling the invasive plants of the Castlecliff Coastal Reserve at Wanganui. In early 2005 Progress Castlecliff Inc sought a mandate from the Wanganui District Council to allow them to undertake enha...

Rod Brown, has become an identity in the Department of Conservation and now in the wider Kerikeri community, because of his involvement, with DOC, Forest & Bird and local community issues.

Starting in the year 2000, Rod became a DOC volun...

"The Waimarino Recreation Reserve at Motuoapa is part of the South Taupo Wetland and has a high diversity of indigenous wetland flora, wetland habitat types and fauna. The South Taupo Wetland is regarded as being nationally significant and this part...

"The Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society Inc. was established in 1992, with the aim of conserving and restoring this most important historic feature – for the benefit of all New Zealanders. Within the Wellington Region, it is historically and a...

"You can hear the kids from Bulls School coming to Tricker’s Bush at least 10 minutes before they actually arrive there! About once each term, 40 to 60 children trek the 20 minutes from Bulls School to their special place at Tricker’s Bush. Here the...

"The school has worked for the last 4 years with other partners in the project of clearing plant pests and replanting native trees on the Monika Lanham Reserve, which is a 40 hectare recreational reserve in the middle of Kawerau.

This yea...

"I first met Meyric and Lynn Bellerby in September 2005 after the Pest Plant Officer at Environment Bay of Plenty told me about their great efforts. In my new role as Urban Greenspace Project Coordinator at the Tauranga Environment Centre, I was exc...

"The work being undertaken by the Jubilee Bush Care Group involves the clearing of the major weed species in a tiny remnant (5.2ha) of what was once a much larger area of semi-swamp forest, called Jubilee Bush, or Claudelands Bush in Hamilton city. I...

"By late summer of 2003 public concern at the state of Rotorua lakes water quality, particularly in Lake Rotoiti, had reached a point where a publicity effort was being organised and delivered by community members.

This process was led b...

For some years Pat Skelly has been a strong advocate for the removal of weed species from Te Aroha Domain.

Under her guidance, a small group of volunteers has been working since 1999 to get rid of the plant and tree pests in the reserve...

"Waikato Rivercare was initiated in 2000 and incorporated in 2002 as the Lower Waikato River Enhancement Society Inc. Waikato Rivercare has successfully established four separate projects.

1. Meremere opposite the old power station. The s...

"Kelceys Bush is a unique podocarp hardwood forest, which is a genetic repository of indigenous plants, with a rich birdlife. An area of unique wilderness in the hills west of Waimate, the forest is a rugged blend of native forest. Invasive weeds s...

"Kimbolton School is a small rural school situated in the Manawatu north of Feilding. We have a school role of 51 children and four teachers. The school BOT supports an Enrichment Programme and as the teacher in charge and principal have a love of ...

"On Wednesday 13th April 2005 all 70 of Silverstream’s Year 6 students spent the afternoon weeding the wetland area adjacent to Pumpkin Cottage Reserve on Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt. This area was planted in natives two years earlier by Forest and B...

"The Woodlands cub group and their leader Geoffrey Napper are committed to making their local reserve a weed free environment for the whole community to enjoy.

The 7ha reserve, ‘Kingswood Bush’ is a valuable lowland forest remnant on the ...

"The Governors Bay Landcare Group has undertaken a significant Weed Control Project on private land in the Upper Zephyr Valley in Governors Bay. The area is located near a number of scenic reserves, and provides corridors of native bush from the fore...

"There are five beautiful bush remnants scattered throughout the southern Rangitikei. These bush remnants are constantly bombarded by old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba) seeds borne on the wind or by water. Blackberry seedlings appear as if from nowhe...

"Since moving to the area, Peter has spent quite literally literally thousands of hours on weed control for the Whangarei Heads area. Even before the resource document on biodiversity values for the area identified the risk that weed invasion was to ...

"This “weedbusting” involves a gully and its associated banks at Matangi, near Hamilton. About 25 years ago, Peter and his family purchased a block of land adjoining the Mangaharakeke Stream. About 6 acres of this property was a gully and steep bank ...

"Since 1991, the Group has been working at clearing the Park, which is a beautiful reserve with streams, gorge, canyon, steep rocky slopes and forest areas. The neglected area had been affected over the years by railway building and tunnelling, road...

The danger posed to high country biodiversity by various wilding tree species is well understood, with wildings smothering and displacing native plant communities and the associated fauna. Forest and Bird recognized that setting up a work team that c...

"David McFarlane has coordinated and led the Dunedin Branch of the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society’s Wilding Pine Eradication Group in Otago since its establishment in September 1997 with the purpose of combating the threat posed by wilding tr...

"Tree and Chinese Privet were well established in Opoutere and spreading into the valued native bush, foreshore wetlands and private properties. In 2000 ORRA accepted that there was a possibility that these plants pests could be controlled or even el...

"As part of my duties for the QE2 National Trust, I monitor many “open space covenants” throughout the Kaipara District. Two of these covenants (QE2 file # 5/02/146 & 5/02/137) are situated approximately 500m directly south of the Paparoa township...

"We purchased Pateke Lagoons in 1997 after a prolonged search for a wetland in the Kapiti area. It is a fifty acre holding with two thirds of it in wetland. It is a part of Te Hapua Swamp, a protected area and one of the largest remaining wetlands i...

"Because Te One is flat, uncut bush, above the flood plain, it is a rare river-terrace bush remnant. The main threat to the bush is the sycamores; although, other exotic weeds (old man’s beard, cotoneaster etc.) and possum control are also part of t...

"As a result of the appearance of the Australian Magpie with their aggressive nature there was a serious depletion of the native bird life in the Riverton district. To correct this problem a group called the Aparima Pestbusters was formed.

"Eddie Bannister, is who is now 80, is a longstanding exemplar of a model “Weedbuster” with Old Man’s Beard his particular target species. Looking back through his diaries, he tells me it started for him way back in 1984 when the Wairarapa Branch of...

"Since 2000 Ross and I have worked along the Northern edge of Tauranga Harbour adjoining Waihi Beach’s Island View Esplanade Reserve, to re-educate adjoining private property owners and the community to:

*stop the dumping of garden and h...

"The type of weedbusting work being undertaken is eradication of wilding pines and briar in the Lakes Alexandrina and McGregor area. To date, since September 2004, 160 volunteers have worked 942 hours in 7 organised work days and 3 extra days. Beca...

"Seton Nossiter Park is a 30ha protected natural reserve nestled in the steep gullies between five Wellington suburbs. The park provides established walking tracks through native bush and has open space areas, streams, and informal picnic spots. It...

"Maungatautari volcano rises like a beacon above the Waikato just south of Lake Karapiro. It’s 3200 hectare forested peak and flanks are surrounded by a sea of pastoral farmland, and embraced on two sides by the Waikato River. Maungatautari is comp...

"The Rangitikei Environment Group (R.E.G.) was formed in August 2001 primarily to address the problem of Clematis vitalba (Old Man’s Beard) in Rangitikei District Council reserve areas in and aound Taihape township.

Old Man’s Beard (O.M.B...

"The project known as the “Okareka mistletoe restoration project” was started in 2002. This project is based in the DoC administered Lake Tikitapu Scenic Reserve and neighbouring Lake Okareka marginal strip. It is a joint community project undertaken...

"Russell Landcare Trust have been extremely busy over the past two years with weed control in the Russell area. Concentrating on ginger, mothplant, gorse, smilax and asparagus in Kororareka Reserve, Te Maiki and Department of Conservation (DOC) Hirst...

"Save The Otago Peninsula Inc Soc (STOP) has been actively working to raise awareness, initiate action and remove pest plants that threaten native bush remnants on the Otago Peninsula for the past ten years.

Specific activities include: ...

South Waikato Forest and Bird have spent some time weedbusting in Barnett's Reserve in South Waikato, tackling such species as barberry and Himalayan honeysuckle, replanting natives and general maintenance. They meet once a month to carry out this w...

"The Ashley River flows close to Rangiora, and is easily accessed by recreational users, as it is only 2 km north of the township. In 1999, a public meeting in Rangiora attended by 80 people elected a committee representing over 20 interest groups, ...

"My project has been cleaning up old man's beard and blackberry from the south bank of the south branch of the Ashburton River at the Lagmhor district.

Constant spraying the seedlings has made a huge impact towards eradicating these invas...

"The Amberley Beach Coast Care care for the section of coast from the Rocks at the northern end of Pegasus Bay to the mouth of the Kowai River. There are several areas along this coastline they are concentrating efforts.

Their current pr...

"Historically DOC have managed the weeding of the sand dunes and land south of the river at Ruakaka Beach. A number of us locals have trimmed and uprooted trees directly in front of our houses in the past. No one was sure they were doing the 'right ...

"The Cambridge Tree Trust is comprised of a small group of volunteers whose aim is to enhance the natural beauty of Cambridge by removing pest weeds and planting trees.

The group was formed in 1991, based in a waste area adjacent to the W...

"The Pines and Kairaki Beach Association would like to nominate one of our members, Mrs Helen Miles, for a Weedbusters Award. Mrs Miles is a long time resident of the area. The Pines and Kairaki Beaches is a small settlement of approximately 300 ho...

"The Basin Weedbusters group was formed in June 2005. when Winsome Fisher approached Weedbusters man Dan O’Halloran, at the Department of Conservation’s Bay of Islands Area Office in Kerikeri, with her concerns of the weed problem in the Kerikeri Bas...

"Raglan Area School began its association with Weedbusters in 2005 when a senior class completed an education unit on weeds. The horticulture class under the guidance of their teacher Jamie Hutt used the weedbusters website as a resource for learning...

"The Reserve 68 Weedbusters Group was established in winter 2005 as a result of the then Banks Peninsula District Council responding to local concerns about the possible sale of reserve land in and around Lyttelton township.

A Reserve Ma...

"I would like to nominate the Summit Road Society volunteer group “The Weekenders” for a weedbuster award. This group have been working as dedicated weedbusters over the last two years for the Christchurch City Council in some of the Port Hills reser...

"Vaughan Dyer, a teacher and principal for 40 years, has been involved in the Bay of Islands area, as a conservation volunteer since 2003, when he first settled in the area.

His new career as a conservation volunteer began with assisting ...