Coordinator – Brooke Turner
Hi, my name is Brooke Turner and I am the coordinator for Te Ara Kākāriki. This involves assisting the TAK committee in achieving its goals. This includes applying for funding, meeting landowners interested in becoming a greendot site, presenting newletters and other publicity materials such as the website. I also work at the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust as the Conservation Covenants Officer. This role involves assisting landowners with native bush on their property to gain funding needed to covenant.
For a bit of background on me, I have been referred to as a kiwi catcher (an Aussie who has followed her Kiwi partner across the ditch) with a passion for working with the environment. I have previously worked on wetlands on private land in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. My last job in Australia was with a non government organisation called WetlandCare Australia, where I helped farmers obtain funding to restore and protect wetlands on their property. I have recently completed my masters degree through the University of New England (Armidale, NSW) investigating the management and perception of invasive native plants in wetlands.
While working in western Victoria, I was a volunteer at local planting weekends and hope to use this experience in my current position with TAK. I hope that we can hold an annual plantout weekend where a team of community and landowners contribute to planting natives back on the Canterbury plains, but to also have a fun and informative day.
If you have a potential site for planting or are interested in volunteering contact me on office@kakariki.org.nz or 331 8214
Restoration Consultant – Stephen Brailsford
Stephen Brailsford has been assisting TAK with planting expertise. He has been planting and working with trees for a living since the late 70′s. While his initial training was in forest science he has expanded his abilities across all aspects of trees and biodiversity in productive land use.
Over the latter years he has focused his efforts towards the installation of riparian buffers and the improvement of biodiversity across the Canterbury plains. He works for a broad range of community organisations, government, regional, district and statutory authorities, Iwi and private individuals. Home is a well treed property situated on the banks of the Halswell River that was a treeless paddock when he stared with it in the mid 90′s. Stephen is a keen fisherman and hunter and is passionate about ensuring that he applies his abilities and efforts towards ensuring that future generations have an improved environment to live and recreate in.