Every Monday Jobs at DOC takes you behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation.
This week we meet Senior Technical Support Officer – Concessions, Briony Dyson.
Being a Christmas fairy for Nelson's DOC Christmas party
At work…
Name
Briony Dyson.
Position
Senior Technical Support Officer – Concessions (National Office).
What kind of things do you do in your role?
Improvement and support for concession processing and management systems.
Concessions Review implementation; Limited Supply Concessions and Allocation; Concessions Standard Operating Procedures; Conforming Activities; designing and maintaining the Concessions internet and intranet pages; and liaison with the tourism industry, NGOs and Government stakeholders.
Oh, and I play the Christmas Fairy—any excuse to don sparkly wings and pink fluffy head gear!
What is the best part about your job?
Helping to make operations staff’s lives easier by providing advice and improving systems—although some may debate that!
Out of the office at Abel Tasman
What led you to your role in DOC?
I did a degree in zoology and geography at Canterbury University with a view to working in conservation, but had no idea what kind of work. I came back from my OE in 1991 when the labour market was tight and you couldn’t get a job without experience.
So, I volunteered for DOC in the Wanganui Conservancy Office (no ‘h’ back then) in the ‘Advocacy’ team for seven months. They hired me under Taskforce Green for another nine months and then I landed a permanent job as the Management Planner in Auckland for three and a half years. Then it was ten years in sunny Nelson, and the last five in National Office.
What was the highlight of your month just gone?
Catching up with all my old management planning colleagues at a recent national Conservation Management Strategies workshop.
Outside of work it was going to Eddie Izzard live—hilarious! Cake or death?
The rule of 3…
3 loves
Felines of any species.
Hot summers on the beach.
Riding motorbikes.
With my beloved fur-children Max (Birman) and Mr Pants (Burmese)
3 pet peeves
Wellington weather.
When they don’t have my size on sale.
Small children.
3 things always in your fridge
Avocado.
French toast with bacon and banana.
Fermented white grapes.
3 favourite places in New Zealand
Abel Tasman beaches.
Lambretta’s Cafe in Nelson.
Iko Iko design store in Wellington.
Favourite movie, album, book
Movie: Fight Club—utterly brilliant!
Album: I have a wide range of ‘favourite’ albums, but I’m playing Op Shop’s Until the End of Time a lot at the moment.
Book: Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials trilogy—aimed at younger readers but I just love them to bits.
Deep and meaningful…
What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?
Don’t do it!!! Actually I’d tell her life is short and it’s far better to regret something you have done than to regret never having done something.
My cheetah encounter at Wellington Zoo
Who or what inspires you and why?
I’m inspired by individuals with a strong sense of purpose and adventure who love what they do and do it with all their heart. People like them achieve great things in the world and I’d love to be like that.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I have never been sure what I wanted to be when I grew up and still don’t! I’m not entirely sure I want to grow up anyway…
And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?
Well, I’m taking voluntary redundancy so now I’ll have the chance to find out! I would love to be a neuroscientist, but I’m not sure that’s very likely at this point. Maybe I’ll just be a fairy…
If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?
Well, since we don’t have tigers, I’d be a dusky dolphin. I would love to speed through the water, jumping and playing carefree in the beautiful Sounds with all of my friends.
What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?
“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” — Chief Seattle, 1855.
My fairy fortieth birthday with my fairy brother Matt
Briony, I enjoyed reading this post – it has a good balance of a glimpse into your work and also who you are as a person. I read somewhere on the web, ‘Always remember you are human first, your occupation second’. All the best!
Personally, I would want a job like yours! Rob is right, you are lucky to have a life lived in purpose. What makes you even more inspiring is that you love animals and we have the same favorite movie…incredible.
Briony,
I would definitely say “3 words for commenting” – Inspirational, Inspirational and Inspirational. You are lucky to have a great and meaningful life like this 🙂
Regards
Rob