|
Kea Conservation Volunteers
Volunteers are a vital part of the Kea Conservation Trust. All our trustees, specialist advisors and operational committee members are volunteers, freely giving their time each month to ensure the smooth running of the Trust.
Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds, providing a range of skills, for varying degrees of time. Volunteers can be flexible with both their input type and time either helping on a one- off basis (to help with a particular task or project) or providing on-going support for as little or as long as they are able.
This page provides information on how you can become a volunteer as well as shows some of our present volunteers at work. Photos and information will be updated regularly.
Become a Volunteer
Would you like to get to know other people in the Kea Conservation Trust, while at the same time making a difference to how we run? Do you have a hidden talent you would like to share with us, or do you have access to equipment or resources that we could use from time to time?
We are always on the look out for people who can help us out, and we promise we'll make the whole experience fun and rewarding!
You can choose how you would like to get involved based on the time, skills and energy you have available.
We can even help you out with training if you'd like to give something new a try!
Some of the jobs we could use help with include:
Key Volunteer Positions:
- Volunteer Coordinator (up to 2 hrs/wk)
We are looking for an outgoing person who can liaise with prospective volunteers. If you have experience working with people and have great organisational skills we would love you to join our team!
- Regional Contact Liaisons (up to 2 hrs/wk)
We are looking for key people throughout the South Island to help us organise promotional events and talks and to liaise with KCT volunteers in your local area.
For more information on any of these positions, please contact us at the Trust.
One off Jobs:
- Developing a central database
If you have data entry skills and an ability to creatively organised then you may be just the person we are looking for!
- Developing school education packs
This job would suit someone who has an educational background, who has an understanding of NCEA requirements and is creative with kids. If this sounds like you, please contact us!
- Annual newsletter - formatting
Would you be able to help out with formatting the final text for this years newsletter along with another person? If so please contact us.
Ongoing Tasks (up to 2 hrs/month):
- Entering all year kea sightings into database
- Updating our membership database
- General administration
If you would like to put your hand up for any of these jobs or would like more information about how you might be able to help, please phone Tamsin Orr-Walker on 09 817 3002 or drop us an email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Photo credit: Andrew Walmsley
We would love to have you as a part of our team!
Ref: Exult
[Back]
Our Volunteers!
We are also in the process of loading information and photos of our volunteers
- National Tahr Show - Christchurch July 2010
Game and Forest Foundation of New Zealand hosted the annual Tahr show in Christchurch on the 3rd and 4th July. The foundation very generously gave the KCT the use of a booth within the show for the weekend to meet with their members and local hunters. Over the weekend our team of KCT volunteers, Melanie White (Coordinator), Laura Young, Cynthia Muir and Karen Banwell, spoke to hunters and visitors about their experiences with kea all of whom expressed concern at low kea numbers in the mountains. “EVERYONE questioned said that they see a whole lot less kea in the mountains now than in the 70's and 80's. Most say that in the 80's was when they noticed dramatic decline”.
Melanie spoke to a large number of hunters and show visitors over the weekend all of whom expressed concern at low kea numbers in the mountains. “EVERYONE questioned said that they see a whole lot less kea in the mountains now than in the 70's and 80's. Most say that in the 80's was when they noticed dramatic decline”.
When asked why they thought this was the case, all stated clear concern for 1080 followed closely by the prevalence of stoat and wild cats. Twizel Department of Conservation who conduct Wilding Pine control in the Torlesse range are also very concerned at the high numbers of stoats and wild cats in that area where kea are also present. Hunters say cats are very hard to shoot, they must be trapped, and then they are very wary.
Lead poisoning was also noted as a major concern with many people pointing out that they have been aware of the presence of lead in alpine huts and kea succumbing to lead poisoning from this source.
In general hunters expressed serious concern for kea and many other birds with many saying they often see very few birds now in the bush of the South Island.
(Photo: Dr Lorne Roberts (KCT) and Laura Young at the Tahr Show)
Catherine of Hamilton Zoo and TJ Irvin of Wanaka (in conjunction with DOC Wanaka) both set up KCT displays during Conservation Week to highlight kea conservation. Both Catherine and TJ were on hand to talk to members of the public about kea and provided information on impacts on the species, and ways in which people could become involved in their conservation. Thank you to both Catherine and TJ for providing their time and enthusiasm!
Tineke Nielson- Joustra from Auckland Zoo, helped out this year on the 2010 Nestor notabilis newsletter. Thank you Tineke.
We have a large number of volunteers who help out in the field recording kea numbers and sending in sightings (list to be loaded). This covers year round sightings as well as our annual Winter Survey across the kea range and the Summer Surveys in three study sites. Thank you to all those of you who took the time to submit your sightings and get out there in the mountains!
[Back]
|
Support Us 
