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Archives For 30/11/1999

Jobs at DOC: Carisse de Beer—Permissions Advisor

Department of Conservation —  19/04/2013

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Carisse de Beer,  Permissions Advisor – Hamilton Shared Service Centre.

At work

Name: Carisse de Beer
Position: Permissions Advisor
Office: Hamilton Shared Service Centre

Carisse with a rescued baby silvereye.

Obi Wan, the rescued baby silvereye. That was the first time I’ve ever held a wild bird

Some things I do in my job include…receiving and analysing applications for concessions, writing reports and then making recommendations on those applications. Part of my job also includes liaising and working closely with a wide range of people within the department and externally, solving problems, and ensuring that concessions are processed to set timeframes.

The best bit about my job is… that it gives me the ability to learn new and interesting things about our flora and fauna. I try to learn something new every day.

A hihi on a branch at Maungatautari Ecological Island.

A favourite pass time – watching birds. I snapped this little hihi at Maungatautari Ecological Island

The awesome-est DOC moment I’ve had so far is… I haven’t been at DOC for very long (3 months!) but I love having some part to play in conservation, even if I am in an office all day at the moment.

The DOC (or previous DOC) employee that inspires or enthuses me most is… Don Merton. He was a pioneer in conservation and his work, dedication and enthusiasm for New Zealand’s “national monuments” like the kakapo and kiwi, and the wonderful little black robin, is inspiring. I love telling my friends and family (and any one who will listen) of Old Blue, Old Yellow and Don Merton’s genius in taking a population of only 5 birds and rescuing them from the brink of extinction. He did so much for New Zealand conservation and even today I like to think he continues to do so much through the knowledge we’ve gained from him.

A monarch butterfly on Carisse's hand.

Monarch butterfly

On a personal note

Most people don’t know that I… have an insect collection and a small herbarium. Both were university projects and are my pride and joy.

If I could trade places with any other person for a week-famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional-it would be… Sir David Attenborough. How amazing would it be to travel the world in my pale blue shirt and khaki slacks, investigating the secret lives of plants and watching the elaborate mating dance of the superb bird of paradise? I grew up watching David Attenborough and, as a child, so much of what I knew and loved about animals came from his documentaries. Now, as an adult, I will still sit at home on a rainy day re-watching Life of Birds. I don’t think it’ll ever get old!

Carisse wearing a wig and gown.

Taking a bad hair day to the next level

In my spare time I… like to go bird watching. I also like to bake and decorate cakes. Cake, in many ways, makes all things better.

Deep and meaningful

My favourite quote is… “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is… to never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.

A collection of insects.

Adding to my collection

In work and life I am motivated by… passionate people. These are the people that have inspired and motivated me to keep working towards my own goals, even at the worst of times. I love that at DOC, these people seem to be everywhere!

My conservation advice to New Zealanders is… to treat every living thing and its home with respect.

A cupcake with grass, a mushroom and animals as decoration.

One of my creations – a biology-themed cupcake

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Your chance to question DOC staff

 —  19/10/2012

We want to know what you want to know about DOC staff.

If you’re a regular reader of the Conservation Blog you’ll know that we regularly go behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at DOC. If you’re not familiar with them, you can see what all the fuss is about here: Jobs at DOC.

Southland Conservator Barry Hanson in a traditional Scottish costume.

Not the usual DOC uniform, for Southland Conservator Barry Hanson

We’re refreshing the questions and want your input. Do you want to know what their best dance move is? Their earliest childhood memory? What a day in the office entails?

Let us know what you want to know in the comments. There’s a ‘Meet the locals – season 3’ DVD up for grabs for one lucky contributor.

Christine Officer standing on a peak with Lake McKellar in the background.

A day in the office for hut ranger Christine Officer

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Jobs at DOC: Tina Clouston, Intranet Communications Advisor

Department of Conservation —  20/07/2012

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Intranet Communications Advisor Tina Clouston.

Walking the ‘Narrows’ in Zion National Park, USA –
the walk is mostly through the river

At work…

What kind of things do you do in your role?

I spend a decent amount of time looking after the day-to-day running of the intranet—reviewing content, training, testing new features, publishing content, supporting our content editors (all 70+ of them), improving usability etc etc. With over 11,000 pages on the intranet it keeps me busy! And it means that I’m never entirely sure how my day is going to pan out…

And then we’ve got a number of projects on the go (fun website/intranet stuff) like trialling the ‘like’ feature, which we’ve added to our front page stories this week.

It’s a great job.

What is the best part about your job?

Hmmmm… a few things actually:

  • Discovering all the interesting things that everyone does. I get to see a slice of it via the intranet content that we review.
  • Deleting old content off the intranet. I know, it’s a bit geeky, but there is nothing like getting rid of old stuff!
  • Investigating ways to make the intranet better.

What is the hardest part about your job?
 
Last minute requests!

What led you to your role in DOC?
 
I’ve been working on websites and intranets for a while now in a number of different industries. My last role, based in London, was working for an Asset Management Company—content that was all about shares and trading and making money—not the most inspirational stuff. After five years of that and a hankering to head home, I decided I needed to work somewhere I actually wanted to work. And so I applied for the job and here I am.

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

I was lucky enough to attend Te Pukenga Atawhai, which was a fantastic experience. I met loads of wonderful people and had a generally great time.

Dog-sledding in Norway

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. A crisp, clear winter’s day.
  2. Travelling – love it! Living in London was the perfect base for seeing the world and I’ve also been lucky enough to live in the States, and have spent a number of months in Japan.
  3. www.etsy.com. So much crafty goodness.

Three pet peeves

  1. People texting at dinner or during meetings. Really – can it not wait?
  2. Missing the train (yes, I know it’s my own fault).
  3. Littering.

Three foods

  1. Gingernut ice-cream.
  2. A good ol’ fashioned roast.
  3. Wellington coffee.

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Wellington. Aside from having a great vibe, it’s my home.
  2. Tongariro National Park.
  3. My grandmother’s old home at Himitangi beach.

Favourite movie, album, book

  1. Movie: The Goonies – classic 80s movie. Sloth is awesome.
  2. Album: August and Everything After by Counting Crows. Always reminds me of road tripping in America.
  3. Book: The Help – wonderful, warm characters.

On an ice covered beach in Iceland

Deep and meaningful…

What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?

Don’t worry so much.

Who or what inspires you and why?

Brian Cox. He’s been making science cool in the UK. Though he failed maths at school, he’s since played keyboard in a rock band, works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland and has been making BBC documentaries about the Universe.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An astronaut.

And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?

A photographer for National Geographic. Might need a few photography lessons first….

Tramping the Milford Track, January 2012

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Say no to plastic bags.

Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year—at home? At work?

Compost.

If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?

A morepork. Why? They have fantastic hearing, can see in the dark and can turn their heads 270 degrees.

What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?

Take good care of our country –  it’s going to be here a lot longer than us.

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Jobs at DOC: Akaroa Biodiversity Ranger, Derek Cox

Department of Conservation —  23/03/2012

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 biodiversity ranger, Derek Cox.

Derek Cox, Ranger Biodiversity, Akaroa Field Base

At work…

Position: Ranger Biodiversity, Akaroa Field Base.

What kind of things do you do in your role?

My main role is the marine work around Banks Peninsula. So I get to go out and look after the Pōhatu Marine Reserve, Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary, and all the marine mammals that are resident or visit the area.

But that is only part of it. There are only two of us over on Banks Peninsula, and I am the only ranger living here, so I get involved in most of the work that goes on — from weed and pest control, to compliance, fire, and all the local issues that occur.

What is the best part about your job?

The variety of work — at all levels, from national to the local community.

What is the hardest part about your job?

The sheer variety of work, and trying to keep up and adjust to work programmes to cope with the changing demands on my time.

Necropsy of a 15 metre ship-struck fin whale

What led you to your role at DOC?

I started out training as a Land Survey Technician up in Auckland, then got a job doing survey work for the New Zealand Forest Service in Te Kuiti, initially for six months. 12 years later I was still there, doing a variety of work, when I was invited to apply for a job with the newly formed DOC.

From Te Kuiti I went to Tairua, on the East Coast of the Coromandel, working largely in visitor assets — looking after camp grounds and tracks, including the Cathedral Cove track system and marine reserve, and doing a variety of survey work right around the Waikato region. I did this for about 16 years before I transferred to Akaroa five years ago to do more marine based work.

Surveying the extension of the Windows Tunnel for the Karangahake Walkway

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

I upgraded part of the Hay Scenic Reserve walking track — we metalled a wet and boggy 60 metre part of the track and tidied up a few other areas of the track.

Hay Scenic Reserve is a small reserve in Pigeon Bay that has a really neat stand of lowland alluvial podocarp/broadleaf forest with a loop track running through it. DOC has been getting rid of the exoctic weeds and controlling the pest animals in the reserve for a while.

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. My wife Alison
  2. My three children Rebekah, Matthew and Nathan, and what they have achieved and are achieving
  3. My job/home

Three pet peeves

  1. My wife having to work and board away from home during the week (but I guess it helps pay the bills)
  2. Rubbish on the road side
  3. Offenders in the marine reserve

    Surveying a boundary line, Whareorino Forest

Three foods

  1. Cheese
  2. Icecream
  3. My wife’s home baking

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Home, overlooking Barry’s Bay
  2. Tairua
  3. Auckland Islands

    Sea kayaking around Great Mercury Island

Favourite movie, album and book

  1. Movie: The first Star Wars movie
  2. Album: Most easy listening music
  3. Book: Any book that has a good story to tell

Deep and meaningful…

What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?

Enjoy life.

Who or what inspires you and why?

All the people I have worked with because they are managing to achieve so much. It’s not necessarily just the big projects, but also the small day-to-day gains that make a difference in the long term.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you gew up?

A land surveyor.

And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?

A land surveyor.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Compost and recycle where and when you can.

Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year—at home? At work?

Solar hot water for my home.

If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?

A New Zealand fur seal—at home in the water and lazing on the rocks in the sun.

What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?

Every little bit helps! Whether it is a small planting project, a couple of traps for pests, or clearing some weeds—cumulatively it all helps the vision of a great New Zealand to live in.

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Jobs at DOC: Operation Rena

Department of Conservation —  07/11/2011

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 some of the people working on Operation Rena in Tauranga  

At work…

“Would you like bubbles with your bath?” Penguin cleaning, a part of the de-oiling process

Name: DOC staff involved with Operation Rena

What kind of things do you do in your role?

DOC is providing operational support for the Massey University led National Oiled Wildlife Response Team on behalf of Maritime New Zealand. To cut a long story short, DOC staff are contributing to the following:

Crew Leaders, Sector Supervisors, Skippers’ Safety, Division Commanders, Iwi Liaison, Radio Operators, Wildlife Handlers, Information, Finance, Personnel, Operations, Logistics, GIS/Mapping, Night Operations, Admin Support, the Situation Unit, and the Resources Unit.

What is the best part about contributing to Operation Rena?

People have come from across the planet to help out. They come from a variety of backgrounds, organisations, businesses and agencies to assist in the efforts of the operation. There is an incredible commitment by these people to get the job done—and to meet the objectives of the operation with a huge amount of collaboration and a real lack of egos getting in the way.

What is the hardest part about Operation Rena?

The Minister of Conservation keeping an eye on proceedings at the Oiled Wildlife Recovery Centre at Te Maunga, Tauranga

A number of the staff are spending time away from home and family.

The unpredictability of a boat precariously grounded on a reef in changeable weather is also hard!

What led you to your involvement with Operation Rena?

DOC’s Deputy Director-General of Operations, Sue Tucker, asked and, as keen and willing DOC staff members, we have all happily put our hands up to help out when and where required.

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

To date, we have managed to cover 60–80km of coastline per day since the grounding. This has enabled us to recover 402 wildlife members, including little blue penguins, gannets, shags, shearwater and seals. A part of that number was 60 nationally vulnerable New Zealand Dotterels before the spill! All of this was undertaken while keeping our cool, with a high team morale. Phew!

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. Clean seas
  2. Clean beaches
  3. Clean birds

Three pet peeves

  1. Grounded boats
  2. Leaking oil
  3. Missing shipping containers

Three things always in your fridge

  1. Milk for the coffee to start the day off
  2. Sardines for the birds
  3. Beer for winding down after a long day

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Tuhua (Mayor) Island—An awesome volcanic environment that is pest free and home to numerous indigenous species with an amazing marine reserve. 
  2. Maketu— the landing site for the Te Arawa canoe and a nesting area for estuarine species including our New Zealand Dotterels.
  3. Motuotau (Rabbit) Island—Penguins galore!

We also used to quite like Astrolabe Reef for its amazing sea life with great diving and fishing, but we’re a little indifferent to it right now!

Loading the DOC boat for Tuhua (Mayor) Island

Favourite movie, album, book

  1. Movie: Free Willy. We’re not a big fan of movies like Titanic or Poseidon at the moment!
  2. Album: Time and Tide by Split Enz, especially the song Six months in a leaky boat.
  3. Book: We’re often found perusing Rena Operation Astrolabe Incident Action Plans for a  bit of light reading at the moment, and have been considering finding a copy of Out of the Channel: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, but don’t really have the time right now.

Deep and meaningful…

What keeps you motivated and why?

Seeing the huge community effort that has gone on over the last few weeks in response to this disaster. There are an incredible number of small but important jobs that need to be done for an operation like this to keep moving. Often these jobs are picked up by volunteers—anything from sifting sand at local beaches and picking out tiny pieces of oiled sand, to cleaning mucky pens at the wildlife centre after the de-oiling of the birds.

Wildlife Incident Management team in action at the Incident Control Centre in Tauranga

And now, if you weren’t working at Operation Rena, what would you want to be doing?

Working back in my day job at DOC, tirelessly making New Zealand the greatest living space on Earth.

If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?

“Kia ora whanau” Iwi Liaison Taute Taiepa making the calls and loving it!

A massive pod of Maui or Hector’s dolphins. We’d go back in time by about 4-5 weeks and be patrolling off the Bay of Plenty coast. There would be so many of us that if a large container ship came past we could nudge it out of the way of any obstacles and escort it safely into port!What piece of advice or message would you want to give to others when it comes to Operation Rena?

A huge thank you to all those that have helped on the operation to date. The support from people who have ‘downed tools’ from all over the country to come and help has been amazing.

To those that haven’t come—we still need your help! This thing isn’t going away in a hurry and it will only continue to function with the support of you all.

For all the best and current info on the situation check out the Maritime New Zealand website.

In Bay of Plenty, Jobs at DOC, Marine , , , , , , ,
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