TRUST CHAIR

Paul has been the Chairperson of PWT since 2013. He and his wife Lorraine have four children and ten grandchildren. They farm alongside their son Alan and his family in Atarau. Paul has an impressive resume spanning 50 years of service for his community and was recognised in 2012 with a Queen’s Service Medal.

Paul’s service includes six terms as a Grey District councillor, president of West Coast Federated Farmers between 1988-92, helping establish the West Coast Rural Support Trust where he’s been a Trustee since 2000. He is also a Trustee of the Reefton Powerhouse Charitable Trust and a current member of the Moonlight Community Board. Paul and his family have been closely involved with the Pike River families. As well as donating the land, he has also donated countless hours of time, machinery and materials to building the memorial in tribute to the Pike 29 men.

TRUSTEE

Alan has been a trustee with PWT since 2013. He and his wife, Zana, have five children and they run a 700-cow dairy farm in Atarau alongside Alan's parents. Alan has a wealth of experience on boards and committees, including Boards of Trustees for schools, representing farmers for Westland Milk and dairy event organising committees as well as serving on the Moonlight Community Board. He has also put a lot of time into school age rugby league, both coaching and refereeing over the past ten years. Being a third generation farmer, Alan has a real passion for the land and conservation. He and his family enjoy tramping and have spent many hours together enjoying the West Coast backcountry. Being involved with PWT is a great way to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same, or even better opportunities to have native species thriving right on our doorstep.

TRUSTEE

Jo grew up at Paremata on the coast north of Wellington with a great love of the outdoors, and all NZ flora and fauna encouraged by her Dad. Jo was first drawn to the Coast in 1971 and started her family here, but ended back up in Te Ika-a-Māui for several years where she enjoyed working in horticulture and at a nursery specialising in NZ native plants.

She moved back to the Coast in 2002 after marrying Davey Bryan. Davey was a key figure in the team that established the Atarau Sanctuary kiwi creche. Jo and Davey live at Aratika near Lake Brunner and have three dogs, gardens, chooks, cows and bees.

Jo began working for PWT as a volunteer in 2008, learning quickly on the job she moved into a paid part-time role as PWT’s Kiwi Ranger until her retirement in 2021. Jo is an expert with all aspects of the kiwi project, including monitoring the adult wild kiwi for breeding activity, managing chicks in the Atarau Sanctuary, and monitoring juveniles released back to the wild. Jo now utilises her skills and experience as a trustee while still volunteering her time to support our new Kiwi Ranger.

TRUSTEE

Trevor has had a long association with wildlife conservation on the West Coast. He spent his early years in the farming industry as a shearing and fencing contractor, before working in New Zealand Forest Service native logging operations in the eastern Paparoas. Throughout the 1980s-90s Trevor and his wife Gail began developing 350 acres of land, part of which was sold in 2010 to establish the Atarau Sanctuary, alongside which they established their B&B ‘Kiwi Wild Lodge’. Trevor has also published two books, Touch the Wilderness in 1992 and A Place Called Moonlight in 2011. He retired in 2016 after 18 years as a Community Relations Programme Manager for DOC, during which time he facilitated the establishment of PWT in 2006.

TRUSTEE

Lee is a third generation West Coaster, born in Greymouth. He is married to Kaye and they have two children who both live locally. Lee lived his early life in Blackball in the shadow of the Paparoas before moving with his family to Blenheim in the Marlborough region. He qualified as a pharmacist and alongside his wife opened their own pharmacy in Blenheim in 1968. Lee and Kaye moved back to the West Coast in 2010 to enjoy their retirement.

Lee has been involved in service to his community for many years as a member of Round Table, and as a Justice of the Peace and a Judicial JP. Lee has also been involved in the photographic and electronic industries. This combined with his knowledge of pharmaceuticals is a real bonus for PWT as Lee has a passion for inventing and trialling new traps, baits and lures for predator control. This ties in with Lee’s passion for the natural world – he has preserved 80 ha of regenerating native forest on his own land for the benefit of wildlife and future generations.

PROJECT MANAGER

ADMINISTRATOR

KIWI RANGER

CONSERVATION RANGER

CONSERVATION RANGER

TRACK MAINTENANCE

VOLUNTEER CONSERVATION RANGER

FOUNDING PATRON

Luc was instrumental in the purchase and development of the Atarau Sanctuary kiwi creche and was one of our early trustees. His support continues through the use of the kiwi creche and the funding of an exciting kiwi acoustics research project undertaken lead by Drs. Laura Molles and Carol Bedoya from the Verum Group in conjunction with the PWT.

LOCAL LEGEND

Davey helped establish and maintain the Atarau Sanctuary from 2009-16. He also did a lot of the trapping up the Croesus Track when the project first started.

LOCAL LEGEND

Gary was one of our founding trustees. Between 2006-12, he maintained the Moonlight trap line and was part of our early work capturing roroa at ROA Mine to start the monitoring project.

LOCAL LEGEND

Between 2014-21, Hutchy, along with Paul Noble, helped establish and maintain most of PWT’s existing trap network, including spending hundreds of hours checking trap lines in difficult terrain and weather.

LOCAL LEGEND

From 2012-2022, Paul, with Hutchy, helped establish and maintain most of PWT’s existing trap network. He also contributed to the kea-proof design of the trap boxes and built many for PWT and the wider community.

FOUNDING MEMBER

Jo was a founding trustee and established the roroa Operation Nest Egg project back in 2007. Up until 2015 she was a key member of the trust. Jo’s passion and drive for kiwi work, with an ability to do the mahi in difficult terrain, often with challenging birds, is impressive. Jo still has a house in Blackball and continues to be active with roroa managing a long-term call count project in the Paparoa Range providing valuable information on kiwi distribution, numbers and population trends.