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Archives For 30/11/1999

Jobs at DOC: Brien Barrett – Ranger

Department of Conservation —  11/01/2013

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 Brien Barret, Ranger – Visitor Information

Name: Brien Barrett

Position: Ranger (Visitor Information/ i-Site, Franz Josef Area Office).

Brien Barrett at Franz Josef.

Enjoying a sunny day at Franz Josef

At work…


What kind of things do you do in your role?

We provide a massive amount of information on local treks, Great Walks, hunting areas, and bookings for Great Walks and huts (for a start). Also, because we are an i-Site, we make bookings for lodging, transportation, guided walks (both on and off the glaciers), helicopter flights, skydives, and a variety of other adventures both locally here on the West Coast and throughout the rest of the country.

What is the best part about your job?

I love meeting and interacting with people from all over the world, and I’ve really grown to love the variety of problem solving that the job requires. If a visitor comes into the office and has only a general idea of what they want to do in a certain area, we sit down with them and try to hammer out an itinerary. I love calling a wide variety of operators and trying to find the right fit for the right person, and seeing the looks on people’s faces when you solve what they think is unsolvable is priceless. In general, 99.9% of people are very happy that we are here to help them.

What is the hardest part about your job?

The limited exposure to sunlight.

Mt Brown Hut.

The very, very beautiful Mt. Brown Hut

What led you to your role in DOC?

I grew up in a family that cherished time spent outdoors, and Madison, Wisconsin opened my eyes to the power of conservation. For the past three years, I have been working seasonally as a Park Ranger in Yosemite National Park, California, and I try to have a different adventure in my time off from work during the US’s winter months. One of my best friends from university spent quite a bit of time in New Zealand after he completed his degree, and the photos he took of this country completely blew my mind into bits.

I have always wanted more experience working on conservation abroad, and figured New Zealand is just about the coolest place on Earth to do so. Applications were sent out, conversations happened, and here I am living in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and exploring every bit of it.

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Waking up at 3 a.m. to climb a bit up Mt Barff and watching the Milky Way float above me. It was one of the first times in the past two months that I’ve lived here that I’ve been able to see a cloud-less and moon-less view of the southern hemisphere night sky. It was just magical.

Liverpool Hut in the Matukituki Valley.

The Milky Way floating over Liverpool Hut above the Matukituki Valley

The rule of 3…


3 loves

(This week’s three loves brought to you by the letter “M”)

  1. Mountains.
  2. Music.
  3. My fam and friends.

3 pet peeves

  1. Intolerance.
  2. Loud, audible breathing.
  3. Sandflies that bite my feet while I’m driving.

3 foods

  1. Broccoli.
  2. Thai Red Curry.
  3. Greasy, grimey, and spicy Mexican food.

3 favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Matukituki Valley.
  2. Isthmus Peak in between Lakes Hawea and Wanaka.
  3. The Mt. Brown Hut (awesome, awesome project).

Favourite movie, album, book

  • Movie: The Motorcycle Diaries (I dare you to watch this and not develop wanderlust.)
  • Music: Tie between Phish “The Story of a Ghost” and Bon Iver “Bon Iver” (Bon Iver for when I want to sink into my couch and Phish for when I need to get up and get funky)
  • Book: Aldo Leopold “A Sand County Almanac” or anything by Jon Krakauer
Mt Conness in Yosemite National Park.

Mt Conness, one of my favourite parts of Yosemite National Park

Deep and meaningful…

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

Don’t worry about the small stuff – bigger, more important adventures are going to wash those worries away. Also, don’t study Arabic during your first semester of university. Ugh.

Who or what inspires you and why?

  • What: Wildness
  • Who: I’m inspired by people who have an infectious passion for their work. I was always told growing up that if I loved my work, that I’d never work a day in my life. I was brought up in a family full of passionate and driven people, and nearly all of my friends have so far sacrificed a life of monetary wealth and possessions so they could live to protect some of the most beautiful places on Earth. The more I live, the more I’ve realise it’s important to be inspired by those closest to you.

Aside from that, Paul Farmer is a really cool dude.

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

Batman or a film director. Those dreams didn’t quite pan out.

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

I would want to be working in the developing world. One of my best friends helped develop a project in Guatemala where she was building schools using plastic soda bottles filled with trash as bricks. The ability to simultaneously beautify an area while teaching the community about small scale conservation makes that one of the coolest projects I’ve ever heard of. I’d love to try to spread something like that to more places.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Grow a garden! You save money, carbon, and planting a variety of veggies can force you to eat outside your typical routine.

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

In Yosemite, we can’t have gardens, as they attract bears (and you really don’t want bears around your home for a variety of reasons), and I’m very excited to take advantage of a bear-free garden space. My flatmates and I did a bunch of weed-pulling and planting in our yard the other day. I’m eager to save more money on food.

El Capitan.

Sitting on a ledge on El Capitan, (900 metre drop), getting ready to try out the “porch swing”

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

It always amazes me how the massive New Zealand pigeons are able to land on the smallest of branches in my yard and not break them. I would like to know their secrets to defying the laws of physics.

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

I think when we get used to having easy access to beautiful areas that we can take it for granted and not utilize these areas as much as we could. New Zealanders live in a very, very magical place, and I hope they are out exploring as much of it as possible. With that, I hope that more folks from the North Island are finding ways to visit the South Island and folks from down here are getting up there!

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DOC staff: what kind of camper are you? (Part II)

Department of Conservation —  07/01/2013
Stephen Roberts by the Paringa River.

Stephen Roberts by the Paringa River

Stephen Roberts

Position and office:
A Band Ranger, (Goat Hunter/Whitebait Compliance), Hokitika Area Office.

Are you a Family camper, a Glamper, or a Wilderness wanderer?
Definitely a Wilderness wanderer, there is nothing that could top wandering around the special places like Te Urewera National Park.

Lisa Hamker

Position and office:
Ranger Visitor Information, Paparoa Visitor Centre.

Are you a Family camper, a Glamper, or a Wilderness wanderer?
If it comes to camping, I would definitely see myself in the category “Wilderness wanderer”. Even more so, in the category “Camping in the most impossible spots”. My partner Scott and I spent a whole summer travelling New Zealand and pitching our tent wherever there was a flat bit of ground, discovering the most amazing places to spend the night. We share a tiny one-person tent, but will be upgrading to a two-person tent soon.

Lisa spending the night in the bush at Dusky track.

Lisa spending the night in the bush at Dusky track

Trudi Ngawhare

Position and office:
Trudi Ngawhare, Ranger (Community Relations) Gisbourne office

Are you a Family camper, a Glamper, or a Wilderness wanderer?
A Wilderness wandering Family Camper… the more isolated the better! I am planning a family bike ride from Opotiki to Te Araroa (East Cape) over a couple of days, fishing and diving all the way! Will probably have a ‘My kitchen rules’ camp cook off, marbles, bomb competitions…any competition we can think of.

Trudi at the beach collecting kina.

Trudi at the beach collecting kina

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2012’s Ranger for a week

 —  22/11/2012

When the folks at What Now let us know who they’d picked as the winner of the ‘Whio in Fiordland—Ranger for a Week’ competition, we were not expecting the likes of Charlotte Thomas… conservation wonder kid.

Genesis Energy supported this year’s prize, which was all about getting to see the whio/blue duck in its natural habitat.

Charlotte’s photo collage she submitted with her entry.

Charlotte’s photo collage she submitted with her entry

Children had to correctly answer three questions about whio and state why they wanted to be a ranger for a week. Out of 1026 entries, Charlotte’s entry was the winner by a long shot.

A male and female whio on a fast flowing river.

Mr and Mrs Whio

“I’m ten years old and you have no idea how much of a dream come true it would be, to be a Ranger for a week! I’m so excited just at the thought!” wrote Charlotte.

“Ever since I can remember, I have loved nature and I know how important it is to protect our native animals and their habitats….When I was nine I wrote and illustrated a book about a New Zealand falcon (karearea) that flew into a fence and damaged its wing.

Charlotte standing in front of a bus in Doubtful Sound

Excited about heading out to see some wildlife in the misty Doubtful Sound

“I spend as much of my spare time as possible outside learning about nature. I am a member of the Environmental Council at my school, I volunteer planting trees at our local regional park, I am a member of the Kiwi Conservation Club and I read. I read about nature and conservation a lot!”

So when the 15th October finally rolled round, Charlotte and her dad Dave flew from Auckland to Queenstown and made their way to Te Anau.

Charlotte meeting various animals at the Te Anau Wildlife Park.

A fun day at the Te Anau Wildlife Park

Day 1 of the prize was a helicopter ride with ranger Max and newly trained whio dog Oska to the Ettrick Burn in the Murchison mountains. Charlotte got to see whio up close and personal, including a pair in their home on the river.

You may remember that the Milford Road was closed because of a slip during this time. Thankfully, Real Journeys who also supported the prize, were kind enough to change day 2’s Milford Sound cruise to a Doubtful Sound day trip. During the cruise, Charlotte saw kea, a little blue penguin, Fiordland crested penguins, Australasian gannets, pied shags, and New Zealand fur seals. All of which, she was able to identify and give facts about!

On day 3 Charlotte and Dave helped feed the birds at the Te Anau Wildlife Park, and then visited the 13000 year old Glow Worm cave across Lake Te Anau.

In her spare time, Charlotte makes jewellery, ornaments and decorations from recycled wire. During the week, she made a range of whio figures, which now sit displayed in the Fiordland Visitor Centre. They have had a bit of interest, so are now for sale with the proceeds going towards the whio!

Charlotte’s amazing wire whio

Charlotte’s amazing wire whio

Charlotte had a great time and now wants to be a DOC ranger when she grows up. DOC staff can’t wait to have her on board!

Check out Charlotte’s big adventure:

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Jobs at DOC: Dan O’Halloran, Ranger – Biodiversity

Department of Conservation —  12/10/2012

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 Dan O’Halloran, Ranger – Biodiversity.

Name:  Dan O’Halloran.

Position: Ranger Biodiversity Bay of Islands Area Office.

Dan getting down and dirty on Mauima.

Getting down and dirty on Mauimua (Lady Alice) a few years back

At work

Possum in a tree.

The possum is public enemy number one!

What kind of things do you do in your role? 

I trap, poison and monitor possums and supervise other staff, contractors, volunteers and commercial operators doing the same. I monitor & supervise our goat programme; assist with species work including snails (flax and kauri) and kiwi; assist with our weed programme and run the Puketi Weedbusters group.

I work with various community and iwi groups and liase with adjoining landowers, especially regarding pest control issues. As an Area Warranted Officer I am mainly involved with hunters and dog issues, as well as vandalism and rubbish dumping. I am a boat skipper, a Rural Fire Officer and staff Health and Safety rep.

What is the best part about your job? 

Two things, the first are those moments when you come across something – a creature or view appears, or you notice plant in fruit or flower – and you know that you would never have got that experience if it weren’t for the job you’re doing. The second is when that happens, along with the realisation, that what you are seeing is a direct result of work done by yourself, your colleagues or our conservation partners.

Four flax snails sitting on a rock under plants.

Flax snails on (the imaginatively named) Snail Rock

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Seeing how well the pohutukawa are recovering in Pekapeka Bay.

The rule of 3…


3 loves 

  1.  My buddy Viv and all our friends and whanau.
  2. The natural world.
  3. Music.


3 pet peeves

  1. Vandals – why don’t you just get a life.
  2. Rubbish dumpers/litterers – ditto.
  3. Poorly informed people who think they have all the answers regarding pest control.


3 foods

  1. Rice.
  2. Plums.
  3. Dead creatures.

3 favourite places in New Zealand 

  1. The Whangaroa rohe, from Takou to Taemaro it is, like the man said, “a singular and beautifully romantic place”.
  2. Waikouaiti and East Otago, a wonderful place to grow up.
  3. Puketi Omahuta, if you’re talking biodiversity it’s the mother of all ngahere.
View from Whangaroa Harbour.

View from Whangaroa Harbour

Favourite movie , album, book  

  • Album – its a toss up between “Genius” the Warren Zevon greatest hits collection and “Enjoy Every Sandwich” where Dylan, Springsteen, Earle, and The Pixies etc. pay tribute to Zevon’s brillance, with an honourable mention for the Amnesty International  4 CD release “Chimes of Freedom” where 80 artists do Dylan covers. Some pretty amazing stuff, and if you buy it off the website your $40 goes to fighting injustice.
  • Movie – one of the best I’ve seen lately is “Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll”, the Ian Dury biopic starring Andy Serkis.
  • Book – Jared Diamond’s “Guns Germs & Steel” or  Tim Flannery’s “The Future Eaters”.

Deep and meaningful…


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

It dosen’t matter, I wouldn’t have taken any notice. At 18 I knew everthing and was totally bulletproof.

Who or what inspires you and why? 

My colleagues who keep on keeping on despite everything that gets thrown at them.

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

A DJ.

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

A conservation worker for the NZ Native Forests Restoration Trust, Kiwi Foundation, Puketi Forest Trust or some other NGO.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on? 

Switch things off – it’s that simple.

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

Use less paper.

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

If that day was 1200 or so years ago, I’d like to be a kauri specifically the giant Te Tangi O Te Tui so I could see what creatures roamed Puketi in its heyday, if thats not a real answer I’ll go for the Kahu because they’re cool (vote for the Kahu in the Forest & Bird poll – closes 10 October).

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

People—get out there and do it, it’s not enough to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.

Rata in flower on the Mokau ridge.

One of those moments – rata in flower on the Mokau ridge Puketi Omahuta

Please leave a comment – do you have any pieces of advice or messages that you would give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?

In Animal pests, Jobs at DOC, Northland, Regions, Sustainability, Weeds , , , , ,
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Jobs at DOC: Taranaki Service Ranger, Traci Grant

Department of Conservation —  31/08/2012

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 Taranaki Service Ranger, Traci Grant.

Mount Taranaki, Egmont National Park

At work… 

What kind of things do you do in your role?

I do a mixture of reception and administration duties which include: hunting and possum trapping permits, answering general enquires, giving advice about tramping opportunities on our beautiful maunga, and also HR, payroll, timesheets, stationery, uniforms, vehicles, travel bookings, minute taking, and providing general help when required.

What is the best part about your job?

The people I work with, and the great things we achieve. It can often be quite hard working in an office-based role while everyone else is out there in the field doing it, but it is rewarding when you know what you’re doing is helping someone, and maybe making their day a little easier.

Walking the Milford Track with Donna and Mike

What is the hardest part about your job?

Juggling the number of different tasks and not being able to complete a task from start to finish, and then probably chasing people to get things completed on time.

What led you to your role in DOC?

An Environmental Ethics paper at university, a childhood full of family holidays in the outdoors, and definitely my adventurous dad. 

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Winter is an extremely office based time of the year, but the highlight, let’s say for Autumn 2012, was walking the Milford Track and a road trip around the South Island for two weeks. I have to admit this was the first time I had been past Blenheim! And my gosh, how beautiful is the South Island??

South Island road trip 2012

The rule of three…

Three loves

  1. My amazing friends, you guys are awesome!
  2. My ma and pa; they have put up with a lot of mind changes and late night calls but at the end of the day they always have dinner and a mug of Milo waiting for me!
  3. Home; I’m a homebody wherever that home (and my Crown Lynn collection) might be!

Three pet peeves

  1. People who talk over you.
  2. Accommodation that doesn’t have free internet.
  3. Cafes that only have white sugar for my coffee—come on I have fancier sugar at home haha!

Three foods

  1. A shared home cooked meal (made by someone other than me)
  2. Cupcakes/cake/brownie/BAKING!!
  3. Redbull. Okay it’s not a food but…

My signature vanilla and hazelnut cupcakes

Three favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Home
  2. Whanganui river. Throughout high school and uni we would do at least one trip each summer; it’s a really magical place
  3. Whatipu at the head of the Manukau Harbour—my brother had his wedding here earlier this year. Not only was the rugged West Coast amazing but the old lodge, built in 1870, where we stayed had all sorts of treasures including old plates displayed along the kitchen walls!

At the summit of Mount Taranaki – you can just see Ruapehu in the background

Favourite movie, album, book

  • Movie: Crazy Stupid Love—thanks to Ryan Gosling I’ve seen it three times!
  • Album/Artist: Ash Grunwald; a friend and I saw him play in New Plymouth earlier this month—he has a bit of a Black Keys sound going on, so if you like them he’s worth a listen! And Tono and the Finance Company—this is an indie band from Dunedin who are now based in Auckland. I saw them play in Dunedin during our South Island road trip, and it was one of my highlights!
  • Book: For me it would have to be Your Home and Garden magazine—I love all the inspiration and crafty ideas.

Deep and meaningful…

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

No matter what happens, everything will work out—it always does.

Who or what inspires you and why?

My friends and the people I’ve met here and there along the way, especially the crafty ones and the passionate ones.

Walking the Milford Track (Dore Pass)

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

A volcanologist, a designer, and then later on, a philosopher. 

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

Well if I could do anything I would probably be running an online store selling the crafty things I make. Maybe I’d also run a coffee house and bake amazing cupcakes!

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

I like to turn things off at the wall. Oh and you don’t actually have to try and keep up with everyone else and their flash new things, you can be quite happy with that old Nokia brick phone!

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

At home—walk to town on the weekends, there is plenty of time. At work—use that webcam!!!

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

A robin or maybe a South Island tomtit, mainly because they are little and cute and get to live in some beautiful places—OR a tui, probably because they can hang out in the bush, but they also like being in town—that’s a bit of me!

South Island robin

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

Go outside, even if it’s just to the local park. Run around a bit, listen to the birds, and enjoy the shade of that tree in your back garden. Teach your children about the tui and the kereru, and inspire them!

In Jobs at DOC, Taranaki , , , , ,
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