Volunteers are the mainstay of operations in the field. Many volunteers have bush and navigational experience through tramping, hunting or search and rescue, but being bush-savvy isn’t necessary for monitoring, or for chick management or maintenance at the crèche.
If you think you’ve got what it takes and would like to help, please get in touch!
Meet some of our volunteers:
Phil
Phil
Phil is a retired teacher and has served as an ECOED trustee. He has had a long association with outdoor education and was a key trustee in the development of the Wilderness Base adjacent to the kiwi crèche. He volunteers at the crèche by assisting with maintenance.
David
David
David has been tramping since his late teens, when he joined the Napier Tramping Club. He has had many exploits in the outdoors and is an outstanding ‘hut-bagger’, near the top of the tree.
Judy and Pete
Judy and Pete
Judy and Pete are retired from farming. With an interest in wildlife, especially kiwi and having worked with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, they’re pleased to be supporting species conservation in the Kawekas through trapline work.
Ann J
Ann J
Ann has been a committed volunteer at the crèche since 2014 even though she lives a two-hour drive away. She finds kiwi work a welcome break from house renovations.
Anne C
Anne C
Anne C retired from teaching in 2013. She now juggles assisting the kiwi creche work with overseas trips and family commitments.
Robyn
Robyn
Since 2015, Robyn has been helping Deb in the Kawekas. Robyn is blessed with long arms – a great asset for nest raids in deep burrows!
Sue
Sue
Sue has been volunteering at the crèche since 2011. Sue fits transmitters to the young kiwi chicks before delivering them up to the crèche – sometimes late into the night. She is pretty adept at crawling through blackberry, and previous experience in electronics is helpful with fixing broken tracking aerials.
Fiona
Fiona
Fiona joined in 2017. She has spent many years hunting deer with her husband and sons. Under Deb’s tutelage, she’s now putting those skills to work hunting kiwi.
Kate
Kate
Trying to protect our iconic species is very important to me and volunteering for Save our Kaweka Kiwi gives me so many opportunities to be involved in so many ways. And seeing a kiwi in the wild is an experience like no other!
Anna with kiwi ‘Lionheart’
Anna
Anna joined us in 2021 as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award studies and often accompanies Deb on monitoring or kiwi adventures. Anna has also gained her kiwi handling accreditation.
Peter
Peter
Despite years of tramping and other back country pursuits, I thought you had to stand in line to get a look in at volunteering for DoC and then Dave told me that Deb was short of people for the kiwis! The first time I saw a kiwi and then the chick and then an egg, all hauled out of the burrow… I was wrapt!
Grant
Grant
Grant is a recent recruit to the trapping team. He has spent a lot of time hunting and fishing in the Kaweka Ranges and taking his family on camping trips. He is happy to help with the Te Puia hot springs trapline once a month.
Julia, having already placed one trap, one to go
Julia
Julia has, for the past few years, been assisting ECOED with monitoring and trapping in the Kaweka Range.
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Marilyn Wright
Marilyn
Marilyn joined ECOED as a creche volunteer in 2019, learning and practising kiwi handling skills.
She subsequently became a trustee and has worked within this role on strategic planning. Previous employment includes teaching, parenting and school counselling. After five years of dedicated service, she retired from the board in 2024, but remains a volunteer for our crehce operations.
If you’d like to join the team, please contact us
