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Individual Environmental Leadership or Action

This award recognises an individual whose leadership, action, support of others and effectiveness to collaborate and influence others is making a significant contribution to Southland’s environment.

Sponsored by ANZ

Shona’s leadership and passion is driving strong environmental outcomes for one of Murihiku Southland’s spectacular destinations in Rakiura Stewart Island.

Shona is the chair of the Stewart Island Rakiura Community & Environment Trust that has initiated many outstanding environmental projects to protect and enhance the island’s rare environment and ecosystems through pest and weed control and native planting.

As well as displaying great passion for preserving Rakiura Stewart Island, some of Shona’s key strengths include her impressive leadership and ability to recognise peoples’ strengths.

She allows people to flourish in their roles and encourages them to be leaders in their own right, leading to the best outcomes for the environment.

Shona ensures the trust undertakes ambitious yet achievable pest control programmes and targets are set and then met with great input from the community.

After recovering from a health scare, Alister set his sights on getting outside and making a difference to his community.

And he has done exactly that in Manapouri.

Alister has been a longtime trustee and active volunteer for the Lake To Lake Cycle Trail, heavily involved in planting native plants between the control gates in Te Anau and Manapouri, where the trail ends.

Alister is also the driving force behind the Manapouri Weedbusters, devoting much time to organising projects pitching in on weed removal work.

Through the groups he is involved with, Alister has been at the forefront of the extensive removal of broom, gorse, blackberry, cotoneaster and Darwin’s barberry along the Manapouri waterfront and the restoration of Fraser's Beach Reserve.

As well as having a passion for Manapouri and its environment, Alister also has a flair for talking his friends and family into pitching in too.

Daniel Cocker first got behind the much-needed drive to save the rare Pukunui NZ Southern Dotterel as a teenager.

From that beginning as a volunteer, Daniel has progressed to be a member of the Department of Conservation’s Pukunui NZ Southern Dotterel Recovery Team.

His work sees him working across Stewart Island, focusing on key nesting and habitat sites, to protect the critically endangered pukunui.

Much of his work involves pest management and trapping, with predators posing a major and continued threat to Pukunui, their young and their eggs.

As well as working extensively on the ground, Daniel has been a strong advocate for pukunui, working to raise its profile as it faces extinction.

The drive to raise awareness is underpinned by the need to secure funding so that pukunui can be protected as their numbers reach critical levels.

As well as being a vital advocate for the pukunui, Daniel has dedicated himself to a range of other environmental causes in our region including the Southland Community Nursery, Otatara Landcare Group, Bush Haven and Friends of Kew Bush.

Don Goodhue has been a longtime environmental advocate and contributor to community-good projects and groups in Murihiku Southland.

Don was involved with both the Stewart Island Rakiura Community and Environment Trust and the Coal Island Trust for many years before moving to Riverton with wife Josy and becoming involved with the Aparima Pestbusters.

Approaching ten years with the organisation, Don has been a vital contributor to the Aparima Pestbusters’ work to restore native biodiversity at More’s Forest at Riverton.

Extensive pest control work is now being now being rewarded, with good populations of native birds in the area, such as bellbird, sightings of red-crowned kakariki and the emergence or more Southern rata.

Don has been instrumental in driving community involvement and collaboration with landowners, securing funding and overseeing the registering of the organisation as a charitable trust and the development of a multi-year management plan.

Gloria Harris has dedicated more than 25 years to the rescuing of owl and morepork in Murihiku Southland.

Gloria’s commitment to the care of these birds has seen her maintain an incredible 100% success rate in the raising of young and their subsequent release back into the wild.

With her reputation for her great care and passion for owls,Gloria is a contact point for people across Murihiku Southland who discover injured owls, or young who have been separated from their mothers.

Through her years of experience, Gloria has developed immense skill and thorough systems that allow the owls she fosters to be treated as wild animals and maintain their natural instincts.

Gloria admits she is driven by a deep passion for owls, our region and its environment and ecosystems are huge benefactors.

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