Celebrating our amazing volunteers

Recently we hosted a very special awards night for the volunteers of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne. 

Over 500 people continue to support our staff by volunteering across the organisation, from infrastructure maintenance to regular and new conservation projects, and all the other tasks in between. Many of them have been with us since the very beginning of the sanctuary when the ground-breaking fence was put in place, while others have joined recently and are very welcome to the whānau.

This year, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Zealandia fence, we also celebrated the team of Fence Checker volunteers with a fence themed cake. 

Pictured: Fence checker volunteers Kathryn Kelly (L) and Gill Mason (R) cutting the fence cake to celebrate 25 years of the Zealandia Fence. Photo credit: Shannon Doyle

Congratulations and the biggest mihi to this year's winners—we wouldn't be here without you and your mahi!

Faye Schaef Award

Faye Schaef started volunteering in 1999 and was an active member of the Hihi team. This award recognises her tremendous contribution to Zealandia and in particular the Conservation Team. The trophy itself is a limited edition replica of the Slow Rise sculpture on the Round Lawn. This award is given to a volunteer who exhibits the qualities and characteristics that Faye embodied: kindness, generosity, modesty, dedication, friendliness and approachability.

This year’s recipient of the Faye Schaef award is Ray Brownrigg!

Ray has been volunteering as an external fence checker for many years and also plays a crucial role as an internal fence checker which involves clearing drains, checking and repairing any fence issues that come up. Ray's work is detailed and he can be relied on to do a great job.

Ray has been assisting with bait out and in for many years and have probably seen a large portion of the valley off track during that time. He is also involved with the transect team on a regular basis and have single-handedly completed large projects such as cutting and labelling all the transect entrances.  

Ray is always willing to help out anywhere in the valley, and the amount of work he puts in is phenomenal.

He is always friendly and approachable, dutiful and conscientious, undertaking any task given with a nod and a smile, and completing it to the highest of standards. He looks out for others and gives valuable feedback about potential issues and possible solutions. He is an irreplaceable member of the Infrastructure and Conservation teams and showcase a great volunteer with all that he does.

The Kākā Award for Outstanding Contributions

The kākā is one of our longest standing residents at Zealandia. Like these volunteers, this endearing manu has made an outstanding contribution to conservation, working its way into the hearts and minds of Wellingtonians, and paving the way for the species that will follow. This award is for volunteers who have gone above and beyond and contributed an outstanding amount of time, energy or expertise.

Bruce Frost

Bruce has been a fortnightly fence checker on the Karori side since July 2011, so he’s walked a lot of miles. He has always been great at communication. He reliably reports in his findings, he’s quick to reply to emails which makes rostering easier, and he’s quick to volunteer to help fill gaps or swap days with others. Although he has moved further away from Zealandia, he enthusiastically continues with his fence checking and also enjoys coming to the Team morning teas!

Tyler Florance

Tyler is enthusiastic and puts a lot of time and energy into nestbox monitoring for both hihi and kākāriki, a lot of the time on challenging terrain and carrying heavy boxes. He also helped with Bait out/Bait in and is a champ on the slopes! Tyler is super adaptable and just a genuinely cool person to be around.

Lucy Cook

Lucy is part of a dedicated and highly effective team that ensures every first aid kit in the sanctuary is regularly checked, replenished, and maintained to a high standard. This team’s efforts save facilities staff a significant amount of time each month, enabling them to focus on other essential tasks. Lucy approaches her responsibilities with a positive attitude, making collaboration enjoyable and effective. She is an invaluable asset to Zealandia.

Tim Workman

Tim is a volunteer night guide assistant and skipper. He has been part of the night guiding team since 2019, and prior to this also volunteered for several years as a fence checker. Over the years he has spent countless hours at Zealandia helping visitors to have the best experience possible, whether on land as an NGA, or on the water when he skippers the boat. He is always cheerful and a pleasure to work with.

Kathy Jordan

The training period for new visitor experience volunteers culminates in an assessment which trainees can find daunting, especially if they have missed a training session along the way. Sometimes trainees just need a little one on one time with a trainer to build their knowledge and confidence. Kathy is one of those trainers, she has been very generous with her time and knowledge in preparing trainees for assessments outside of the normal training programme, and we thank her for nurturing new volunteers and supporting staff during a busy time of year.

Michael McBryde

Michael has been a particularly diligent and helpful member of the Wednesday Road Crew group for more than a decade, tirelessly clearing rubble, leaf litter, and debris from drains. Michael extends his commitment by feeding the Kākā in the sanctuary, often resulting in longer days. Recently, he expanded his role to include volunteering as a wildlife driver for the Conservation Team on various days of the week. His steadfast dedication has significantly benefited Zealandia.

Rosemary Leith

Rosemary is a dedicated volunteer. She is one of our longest-serving and most experience night guide assistants having joined the team in the mid 2000s. During that time she has regularly volunteered around once a fortnight, assisting on well over 200 tours.  She is a hard working and reliable volunteer who is a pleasure to work with. 

Murray Carson

A longstanding member of the Wednesday Working Group, Murray consistently contributes his skills in a variety of ways, from constructing displays, coat hooks, and kickboards for the reception team, to cutting timber for conservation projects. Murray also supports the Facilities Team with painting, sanding, lawn mowing, and vegetation clearing around the dam. His reliability and versatility make him indispensable at Zealandia.

The Koru Award for an Outstanding New Volunteer

New fronds unfurl from many of the ferns throughout our valley, with this koru representing the way life both changes and stays the same. The recipient of this award brings a new way of looking at the world, but they are also important guardians of Zealandia’s 500 year vision. They have gone over and above, contributing an outstanding amount of time and expertise, and have been volunteering 18 months or less at Zealandia.

Billy Papatsoumas

Billy is an outstanding new volunteer. He started at Zealandia in 2023 and has made an incredible impact with his hardworking can-do attitude. He is super speedy on the slopes, always willing to lend a hand when available. He has helped in completing some of our most important operations including Pest Audit, Bait Out, Mouse Index Lines and transect maintenance. Billy also was a helping hand for our incursion response in spring of last year. He is someone that the conservation team entrust with going above and beyond in “getting the job done”.

Tōtara Awards

The Tōtara is one of our endemic forest giants, noted for its durability and longevity. As well as providing shelter and nourishment to many insects and manu, the roots of the Tōtara represent connection to the land, rooting us, anchoring us and locating us in te ao Māori.

Our Tōtara award is given to thank and farewell those volunteers who are now completing their long volunteering journey at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne. Like the mighty Tōtara, they are giants amongst volunteers and their mahi aroha is deep rooted, leaving a lasting legacy for our sanctuary and those volunteers who come after them. We wish them well as they move onto different things.

This year’s Tōtara Award recipients are:

Kathryn Kelly

Helen Bichan

Long Service Awards

This year we would like to acknowledge and thank all the volunteers who have reached their five year milestone. These include:

Libby Clark

Dave Heatley

Robert Hill

Judy Mikoz

Kevin Moffat

Clare Nixon

Autumn Prow

John King

Stephen Marsland

Nico Stahlmann

Pike Stahlmann-Brown

10 Year Long Service Awards

Stephen Cook

Julia Stuart

James Evans

20 Year Long Service Awards

Alan Perry

Jenny Roy

Jenny Lewis

Jenny Walsh