Every Friday Jobs at DOC will take 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.
Today we profile Little Barrier Island Ranger, Nichollette Brown.
At work…
Position: Ranger, Little Barrier Island
What kind of things do you do in your role?
As Ranger on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island my role is pretty varied. My ‘office’ and home is a 2817 hectare island and nature reserve in the Hauraki Gulf. I share the role of kaitiaki with Richard Walle and his family; his wife, Leigh Joyce, and children, Liam (7) and Mahina (9). My main role involves running the island’s weed programme.
This is me weeding for Madeira vine on the cliffs at Raoul Island
Due to the terrain, (steep!) the ground-based grid searching can get pretty exciting and if that doesn’t get the adrenaline pumping, flying in the helicopter strop for pampas spraying will!
I also run the annual reptile monitoring programme which, since the rodent eradication in 2006, has shown a promising recovery. When I’m not involved in these programmes I assist Richard with the island maintenance and operation, the tuatara breeding programme and provide support to researchers and translocation projects. We also host volunteers and visitors to the island.
What is the best part about your job?
Me in my get up for heli spraying pampas grass on Little Barrier Island. I'm hanging from a 70m strop beneath a helicopter
Waking up every morning to a dawn chorus lead by kōkako, and sharing the path home in the evening with kiwi, bats and the scratch of wētā punga in the trees.
It’s easy to become blasé about it all after a time until you get to share it with visiting researchers and volunteers who remind you what a beautiful and unique place Hauturu is. I think Marcus Lush (when he visited Little Barrier in his series North) put it perfectly: “(the ranger) clearly has the best job in the world…”
What is the hardest part about your job?
Being away from friends, family, and events on the mainland for long periods.
What led you to your role in DOC?
A lifetime exploring New Zealand’s bush, mountains and oceans; a postgraduate degree in ecology; and a love for conservation, and maintaining and improving our natural resources. Oh, and several years in the corporate world wondering why I was there!
What was your highlight from the month just gone?
So many! Generally, the excitement of never knowing what the day will bring. More specifically, the release of two captive bred tuatara, hanging 70 metres below a helicopter to spray pampas grass on the island’s cliffs, tramping from one side of the island to the other over two days, and meeting lots of interesting and dedicated people as part of the reptile monitoring programme.
Back in September 2011 we welcomed 28 baby tuatara back to the island. They had been sent off as eggs the year before to Victoria University in Wellington for hatching
The rule of three…
Three loves
- The ocean
- A good story in which you can escape into, whether it’s a book or a movie
- Great home cooked food eaten in good company
This is me in the island boat Hine Moana coming in to pick someone up off the rocks
Three pet peeves
- Animal cruelty
- Needless waste
- Littering
Three foods
- Chocolate
- Cheese
- Garlic
Three favourite places in New Zealand
- Hauturu (of course!)
- Arthur’s Pass National Park
- Aoraki/Mount Cook (Tasman Glacier)
One of my recreational activities - mountaineering. This is a trip I did with friends to Mount Cook National Park, climbing out of Kelman Hut at Tasman Glacier. This might be the Hochstetter Dome summit
Favourite movie, album, book
- Movie: I’m a movie addict! It changes constantly.
- Album: Currently anything by Trinity Roots, Age Pryor, or any Jack White collaboration.
- Book: The Torchlight List by Jim Flynn—an excellent summary of all the books you should have read and why.
Deep and meaningful…
What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?
A quote by Goethe, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
Who or what inspires you and why?
People passionate about a cause, loving the work they do, and being keen to educate others— infectious enthusiasm!
Completed Building Project—we rebuilt the Derrick shed on Raoul Island with the island mechanic Ash Mangnall. This is the opening ceremony. Apparently it got pretty hammered in a cyclone the following year but is still there!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A vet, or was it an astronaut? An artist, and I think there might have been a fire(wo)man period…
And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?
A research scientist in Antarctica, or working in the natural history section of a museum (a nice mix of education, history, and research), or working with developing countries to educate and improve environmental practise, sustainability, and biodiversity.
What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?
Be aware of your impact on the earth—get online and calculate your ecological footprint. This measures the amount of resources you use and the waste you generate. It’s a great way to make yourself aware of where you can make changes to improve your sustainability and reduce your impact on the world. Currently the average human exceeds the Earth’s regenerative capacity by about 30%. The biggest gains can be made in reducing fossil fuel use—do you really need to drive or could you walk, cycle, or take public transport? Also, careful consideration of your energy provider e.g. supporting renewables, will make a big impact on your footprint. And finally: reduce, reuse, and recycle!
Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year—at home? At work?
Reduce, reuse, and recycle. The amount of packaging these days is obscene. Where possible I hope to grow my own veges, buy in bulk, and consider a product’s packaging and its ability to be recycled when purchasing. I will aim to mend and fix things rather than replace them—kind of a requirement anyway when living on an island! I’m also keen to make better use of library services rather than buying books and magazines.
If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?
It sounds like Sirocco has a pretty good life jet-setting round the country advocating for his species and for conservation!
What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?
Get out and enjoy our beautiful parks and wild areas. Make a multi day tramp the focus of your next holiday—staying in DOC huts is a lot cheaper and more rewarding as a family than staying in a hotel in the city! Encourage children into tramping, climbing, and swimming—and educate them about our natural flora and fauna. Get involved in volunteer programmes—many of them take you to some amazing, remote places that most people don’t have access to.
