Other Conservation and Community Work

Supporting De-Vine Reporting

The De-Vine project tackles Old Man’s Beard and other invasive vines threatening Golden Bay’s native forests. I contribute by coordinating phase reporting – documenting control efforts, tracking progress and ensuring systematic monitoring across treatment areas.

This work helps:

• Track the effectiveness of control methods over time
• Identify priority areas for intervention
• Support volunteer coordinators with data management
• Demonstrate progress to funders and community

Project partners: Golden Bay Community Trust, Department of Conservation, local landowners

Learn more about De-Vine: https://pdvet.org.nz/

Marine Mammal Medic – Project Noah

First response support for stranded marine mammals

As a trained Marine Mammal Medic with Project Jonah, I’m part of the network providing first response care for stranded whales, dolphins and seals on Golden Bay beaches. This volunteer role involves:

• Responding to strandings and providing immediate care
• Coordinating with DOC and Project Jonah teams
• Educating the public about marine mammal welfare
• Contributing to New Zealand’s marine mammal rescue network

Golden Bay’s unique geography and marine environments make local response capacity crucial for protecting these taonga/treasures.

Organization: Project Jonah New Zealand

Learn more: projectjonah.org.nz

Secretary, Rural Women Bainham Branch

Supporting community connection and advocacy in rural Golden Bay

Rural Women New Zealand connects rural communities, advocates for rural wellbeing and provides support networks across Aotearoa. As Secretary of the Bainham branch, I help coordinate:

• Monthly gatherings and community events
• Communication between members and national organization
• Local advocacy on rural issues
• Supporting initiatives like the Aorere Food Resilience Series

Rural Women provides an established network and umbrella organisation for community initiatives, bringing together diverse voices to strengthen rural communities.

Organization: Rural Women New Zealand

Learn more: ruralwomen.org.nz

Fernbird Call Recognition with AI

Training machine learning to identify and monitor mātātā/fernbird populations

Fernbirds (mātātā) are cryptic native wetland birds whose populations are difficult to monitor through visual surveys alone. I’m working on training AI tools to recognize fernbird calls from audio recordings, making population monitoring more efficient and accessible.

This technology can:

• Support conservation groups in tracking fernbird populations
• Enable passive acoustic monitoring in wetlands
• Reduce time needed for manual call identification
• Build datasets for long-term population trends