Our Team Members
Annie Dignan
GENERAL MANAGER
Annie’s role at PFK is to keep the volunteers, staff team, board and key partners all on the same waka, paddling in the same direction to an agreed destination. Annie particularly enjoys meeting volunteers and hearing about their inspiring efforts to work with the community and restore the local environment. Her favourite native is the Ruru as she loves its all-knowing look.
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Fiona Smal
SENIOR RESTORATION ADVISOR
Fiona’s role at PFK is to increase engagement with restoration at home, in reserves and the places in-between, by encouraging our community to love and protect native biodiversity. She enjoys the giving attitudes of each volunteer or resident who takes a step forward for the benefit of local biodiversity. Her favourite native animal is the tīeke (saddleback) for its association with pecking about on the ground and for epitomising the long term success of pest free initiatives.
Kelly Long
COMMUNITY ACTIVATOR
Kelly works on volunteer recruitment, on-boarding, and supporting PFK volunteers. The thing she most enjoys about working for PFK is working with such a cool bunch of people. Her favourite New Zealand native is the pīwakawaka (fantail).
Nic Charlton
CONSERVATION DATA & SYSTEMS
COORDINATOR
Nic’s role at PFK is to ensure technology & data support the organisation’s conservation and community mahi. He enjoys seeing the positive impact that the PFK team has on local people and local wildlife. Nic has too many favourite natives to choose but he does have a special fondness for wētā.
Bella Burgess
TREE CHAMPION
Bella works to protect, celebrate, and educate people about all the wonderful trees in Kaipātiki. She loves working with such a supportive and passionate team and community and getting out into the fantastic bush that we are lucky enough to have growing here. Her current favourite native is toropapa, which can mimic other plants and has beautiful, scented flowers.
Tania McBeth-Stanton
SPECIAL PROJECTS LEAD
Tania's role is to provide administrative support to the PFK team members. She loves the people, both the staff and volunteers and says there are so many wonderful people working so hard to make a difference to the local environment, it is inspiring. Tania has a soft spot for the playful native pīwakawaka and loves hearing their distinctive little cheeps in the backyard.
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Maisie Hamilton Murray
KAURI DIEBACK EVENTS ACTIVATOR
Maisie facilitates engagement with the Kaipātiki community around conservation issues, particularly focusing on kauri dieback. She loves the tangible environmental protection, and that native restoration is being achieved. Maisie’s favourite native is the Kauri - the rangatira of our Northland forests.
Angela Mueller
BIODIVERSITY EDUCATOR
Angela’s role at PFK is to help tamariki to take action for our native plants and animals, and to train the buffer surveyors. The thing she most enjoys about working for PFK is being outdoors with tamariki and rangatahi - connecting people with nature and with other people. Angela’s favourite native is the tīeke (saddleback) and she would love to hear their song in Kaipātiki one day!
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Ceci Hayes
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Ceci looks after the communication of the organisation’s news and events on social media. She loves seeing the changes in Kaipātiki’s environment made by our volunteers and staff. Her favourite native is the Tūī as they are a beautiful bird and she loves their song.
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Louise Jury
FINANCE MANAGER
Zoe Neville-White
BIODIVERSITY EDUCATION ASSISTANT
Lofty Ned
TE TAIAO COORDINATOR PUPUKE BIRDSONG PROJECT (PBP) AND PEST FREE KAIPĀTIKI (PFK)
My role at PFK is to help Angi with the Buffer and Schools program, helping organise pest plant removal in the Buffer zones around native bush areas, and teaching school kids about the outdoors. The thing I most enjoy about working for PFK is being able to work outside and help others enjoy NZ bush as much as I do. My favourite native animal is the Ōi, (Grey-faced petrel), because they are beautiful endemic birds and need conservation support.
Louise looks after all things finance, from paying staff and suppliers to tracking spend on projects, applying for funding, invoicing and making sure all finance-related regulatory requirements are satisfied. She loves how passionate everyone is about their work at PFK. Her favourite native is a tie between the pīwakawaka - so friendly and sociable - and the kereru - so majestic.
Born and raised in Auckland of Ngāti Whātua, Tainui, and Tuhoe descent, Lofty’s values aligned well with the role of Te Taiao Coordinator – conservation and protecting our Whenua. Lofty views his responsibility as kaitiaki and bridge between the environment and people. His background is in the arts, health and fitness, and waste minimisation sectors so he is able to strengthen his values of protecting and caring for the environment, people, and sharing Maoritanga.
