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Te Hoiere Team

Alongside our Trustees and the community is a growing team of Project partners, many of which are out and about in the catchment or behind the scenes in our Working Group. New Zealand Landcare Trust also contracts catchment group leaders on behalf of the Project to support community-led actions to enhance water quality.

Out and About

Collaboration and working together is at the heart of the Project, spanning multiple organisations and aspirations. Below are just a few people who you are most likely to meet, while undertaking Project work out and about in the catchment.

Aubrey Tai

Catchment Care Coordinator, Marlborough District Council

Aubrey is the guy to call if you're interested in funding for fencing, dung beetles or native planting. He usually shows up with bikkies to have a yarn with you about your goals for the property and how we might be able to help. When he isn't grabbing a pie in Havelock between site visits, you can find him hunting, fishing or somewhere in nature.

aubrey.tai@marlborough.govt.nz

Shannon Huntley

Kaitiaki mō Te Hoiere Awa Coordinator, Te Runanga o Ngāti Kuia; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

Raised in Waikawa, Shannon is a DOC Nelson Ranger Programme graduate and former RNZAF Firefighter. As part of Te Hoiere Project, he's leading the work plan for Ngāti Kuia to restore Ruapaka Wetland near Canvastown. Between organising contractors and looking after the Ngāti Kuia field crew, Shannon can be found spending time with his young family.

shannon@ngatikuia.iwi.nz

Clare O'Rourke

Team Leader - Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project, Forest & Bird; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

Clare grew up in Te Tau Ihu, hunting and fishing, swimming and tramping. As a field team leader for Forest & Bird's bat project, she also works with volunteers from the community to protect and restore the habitat of our beautiful pekapeka tou roa. Get in touch with Clare if you're keen to volunteer.

c.orourke@forestandbird.org.nz

Sarah Huntley

Education Coordinator, Te Hoiere Project; Te Hoiere Centre Manager, Te Runanga o Ngāti Kuia; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

A teacher by trade, Sarah is passionate about fostering the next generation of kaitiaki. She brings a fun and hands-on learning approach to conservation for our local tamariki. When Sarah isn’t busy working with local schools and managing the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve campsite, she loves fishing, bush walks and exploring nature with her husband, Shannon, and two children. Get in touch with Sarah about bringing our programme to your school or community group in Marlborough!

sarah.huntley@ngatikuia.iwi.nz

India Hamill

Environmental Scientist – Freshwater Ecosystems, Marlborough District Council

India grew up in Marlborough, and isn't the only freshwater ecologist in the family. As part of Te Hoiere Project, she's looking at barriers to migration for native fish and understanding their habitats across the catchment. When she isn't knee-deep in fish habitats, you can find her alongside Aubrey as part of Council's waiata group, Ngā Manu Tioriori – Song Birds.

india.hamill@marlborough.govt.nz

Wendy Sullivan

Marlborough Catchment Coordinator, New Zealand Landcare Trust; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

With more than two decades of experience in a range of conservation roles, Wendy's passion is supporting grassroots efforts. While Wendy works for NZ Landcare Trust across Marlborough, she's helping Te Hoiere Project to support the formation of community-led catchment groups and their activities in our sub-catchments. If you're interested in starting a catchment group with others in your area, get in touch with Wendy to see how the Project can help.

wendy.sullivan@landcare.org.nz

027 247 3503

Read more about Wendy here.

Karen Morrison

Catchment Coordinator, Linkwater; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

Karen is a Linkwater farmer who has released dung beetles on her farm, improved fencing, planted natives and much more. Get in touch with Karen if you're interested in joining the Linkwater Catchment Group or just want to know what it's all about.

kaz.morrison@yahoo.co.nz

027 463 5071

Read more about Karen and the Linkwater catchment group.

Kristin Aldridge

Catchment Coordinator, Rai and Surrounds; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

Kristin is a familiar face to local dairy farmers, working at Fonterra-owned FarmSource Rai Valley as manager and technical sales rep. She sees her roles as complementary, from advising farmers on crops to discussing options for protecting waterways. Get in touch with Kristin if you're looking to join the catchment group for Rai, Ronga or the surrounding area.

kristin.aldridge@fonterra.com

027 559 0190

Read more about the community in Rai Valley.

Veronika Merkle

Catchment Coordinator, Kaituna; and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

When Veronika isn’t homeschooling the kids, tending to the animals, or weeding her family’s restoration project in her back creek, she’ll be rallying the community in Kaituna—from south of Havelock down to Camerons Road.

Originally from Germany, Veronika lived in Marlborough for nearly a decade before settling into Long Valley in 2016 with her husband and three children. The family was drawn to the native bush and diversity of land uses in Okaramio, where Veronika is keen to chat to the community about how to get involved with the Project.

veronikamerkle@gmail.com

Read more about Veronika and how you can get involved in Kaituna.

Denis Marfell

Catchment Coordinator, Lower Pelorus and Whakamarino (Wakamarina); and Te Hoiere Working Group Member

Denis has lived on his 40-hectare lifestyle block near Canvastown for about 50 years, with a few sheep and a little bit of forestry. Today, he has a front-row seat to the Ruapaka Wetland transformation, as his State Highway 6 property is one of two landowners that border the 14-hectare project led by Ngati Kuia. As a member of the Canvastown volunteer fire brigade since 1989 as well as 20 years as president of the Pelorus Rugby Club, you’d be hard-pressed to find a local that doesn’t know Denis. If you’re keen to have a yarn about freshwater and the Project, give him a ring or find him at the Trout on Friday evenings.

ruapaka@kinect.co.nz

027 277 0344

Working Group

The Working Group is a collective of representatives from our Project partners, who drive and support Project outcomes and community aspirations across the catchment. While each of the Working Group members bring their own super powers and technical expertise, they work together towards restoring the mauri of our area's land and waters. In addition to many of the people already listed above, our working group includes:

Rachel Russell, Te Hoiere Programme Manager

Ruihana Hamuera (Lewis Smith), Ngāti Kuia

Read more about Ruihana here.

Heli Wade, Te Hoiere Project Manager

Sally Neal, Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau

Sioban Harnett, Marlborough District Council

Pete Hamill, Marlborough District Council

Phil Clerke, Department of Conservation

Mandy Noffke, Forest & Bird

Daria Erastova, Forest & Bird

Read more about Daria here.

Angela MacKenzie, Top of the South Wood Council

Lea O'Sullivan, Waka Kotahi

Jane Mitchell, Fonterra

Don Pointon, Havelock Community Association

Read more about Don here.

Simon Langley, Ministry for Primary Industries

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Meet the Trustees

Our Trustees work in and alongside the community for landscape-scale change across Te Hoiere catchment.
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