Regional field advisors
Our regional field advisors are located across New Zealand. They investigate and negotiate new public outdoor access opportunities and help retain existing public access. They also explore and help resolve public access disputes. They welcome opportunities to meet local people and organisations and to speak about their work.
Click on a region below for the details of your regional field advisor.
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Northland | Te Hiku-o-te-Ika
Shaughan Anderson
Shaughan spent his youth in Whangarei. He studied in Auckland where he had a short career as a teacher. He returned to Kororāreka Russell and later Whangārei, working for over 40 years as a public servant at the Department of Lands and Survey (now the Department of Conservation). He worked in a variety of roles, mostly in visitor services.
Shaughan has a strong interest in historic sites, such as Te Ruapekapeka in the mid-north. He’s particularly keen to see New Zealanders and their visitors access and enjoy New Zealand’s diverse outdoor heritage.
Shaughan enjoys walks with his family and is a keen recreational cyclist. His cycling interest has progressed from competitive road cycling to meandering New Zealand’s many cycle trails.
shaughan.anderson@herengaanuku.govt.nz
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Auckland | Tāmaki Makaurau
Dot Dalziell
Dot has had a scenic career, taking in bus driving, Anthropology study and early childhood education in Wellington and Dunedin, Māori language immersion in Kirikiriroa, museum collection management in Napier and Auckland, walking and cycling advocacy in Waitākere, and, recently, community environmental partnerships and strategy at Auckland Council. Her core interest is in sustainable development at local and regional scales. She has seen first-hand the positive impacts of public access on community connectivity, resilience and environmental stewardship in West Auckland. Dot is fascinated by landscape trails and cultural heritage, from seasonal migrations to heroic journeys. Coupled with her passion for cartography and digital mapping and her love of walking and cycle journeys, being an RFA is an ideal focus for Dot’s energy, enthusiasm and interests. -
Waikato and Taupō | Waikato me Taupō
Felicity Brough
MSc (Management Science), Manchester (UK)
Farming is an integral part of Felicity’s life. She grew up on a coastal Wairarapa farm and ran a sheep and beef farm in the King Country with her husband, Mark. She is also involved in a wide range of community organisations. Off-farm, she has worked for a range of corporates and not-for-profit organisations in various roles, including rural banking. Felicity enjoys tramping, mountain biking and gardening. Many of her family members are hunters and anglers with a keen interest in access to the outdoors.
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Hauraki, Thames Coromandel and Bay of Plenty | Hauraki, Te Tara-o-te-Ika-a-Māui me Te Moana-a-Toitehuatahi
Lauren Schick
MSc, BSc, Cert Env Management
Lauren grew up on a dairy farm in the Waikato. She has lived in the Bay of Plenty for over 13 years and often spends time in the Coromandel Peninsula visiting family.
In her spare time, you’ll find Lauren exploring new places in the outdoors, tramping, biking, or at the beach. Her previous professional experience is in environmental science and environmental and resource management, including for regional councils.
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Manawatū, Whanganui and Taranaki | Manawatū, Whanganui me Taranaki
Vacant Position
For further enquiries, please email info@herengaanuku.govt.nz
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Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay | Tūranga-Nui-a-Kiwa, Te Matau-a-Māui
Senitra Nathan-Marsh
senitra.nathan-marsh@herengaanuku.govt.nzSenitra considers herself a "fruitsalad" being a descendent of many iwi from Te-Ika-a-Māui and Rarotonga, however, she considers her ukaipō beneath her maunga Koro Ruapehu.
For the majority of her life, Senitra ventured between Tokoroa and Central Hawkes Bay, between her kui and koro. Throughout her upbringing, Senitra absorbed the Mātauranga of her koroua and embraced their old values and ways.
Senitra's career has traversed many landscapes, starting from (the fun stuff) scaling her own maunga, Koro Ruapehu, tracking and catching manu on her whenua, and mahi the ngahere back home.
Since her "good old ranger days," she has worked for local regulatory bodies such as district councils, DOCs, and post-settlement governance entities. Her "niche" is navigating governmental and regulatory processes, as she likes to " geek out " about legislation.
Senitra created her business, Uehā Environmental, to continue to be of service to our communities whilst also completing her Masters in Māori and Indigenous Leadership, focusing rangatiratanga (self-determination and leadership) when receiving taonga from Tangaroa (whale strandings)
She currently fulfils a role of passion as a kaimanaaki (helper) alongside mana moana (people of the sea), mana whenua (people of the land), DOC and Massey University for when taonga strand, and considers her happy place alongside Ikanui (whales and dolphins), activating and supporting kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga.
You will often see Senitra with her four-legged buddy Tex (included in the picture), exploring along rivers and in outdoor recreational areas.
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Wellington and Wairarapa | Te Whanganui-a-Tara me Wairarapa
David Barnes
David has been a tramper since his teenage years. In the 1980s, when his tramping club successfully fought to have the Silver Peaks range, north of Dunedin, become a scenic reserve rather than an exotic forest, he realised that speaking up can make a difference. He’s been a passionate outdoor recreation and conservation advocate since then. This led to a long stint on the executive of Federated Mountain Clubs and membership of the Otago Conservation Board, New Zealand Conservation Authority and New Zealand Geographic Board.A few years ago, he confounded people who thought he was permanently rooted in Otago by moving to Lower Hutt. Before moving north, he’d already started exploring the Tararua and Remutaka Forest Parks. He now spends as much time as possible extending his knowledge of them, our Regional Parks and other outdoor access opportunities.
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Top of the South and Kaikōura | Te Tau Ihu me Kaikōura
Ange van der Laan
B. Env Management & Planning
Ange began working for Herenga ā Nuku as the Queenstown Lakes and Southland regional field advisor in 2015. Ange now lives in Whakatū/Nelson and is our regional field advisor in Te Tau Ihu mē Kaikōura/Top of the South.
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West Coast | Te Tai Poutini
Inger Perkins
BSc (Jt Hons, Geography/Geology), Dip (Rec Management)
Inger has always been captivated by the landscape and great outdoors of New Zealand and left a career in recreation and golf management in the UK to explore most corners of NZ and to volunteer with DOC in three areas in 2003. This led to an offer of employment, and she has worked for DOC on the West Coast for 11 years. Her role encompassed permissions, consents, and community relations, including advocacy, awareness and occasional access issues. Inger is also the manager of the West Coast Penguin Trust, a community conservation trust working to conserve penguins, seabirds and the coastal environment in this region, and manager of the South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust, which is working to confirm that the South Island kōkako is extant so that it can be conserved appropriately. Through these roles, she has worked with various Councils, iwi, landowners, managers and developers to advocate for and negotiate conservation outcomes. Inger loves to be outdoors, whether gardening, walking, cycling or kayaking. She’s also a keen landscape and nature photographer.
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Canterbury | Waitaha
Geoff Holgate
B.Ag.Sci, M.Ag.Sci (Ecology)
Geoff grew up on a sheep and beef farm in South Otago. After completing his study at Lincoln, he joined the Department of Lands and Survey to work in the South Island high country.Currently Principal of his advisory partnership (dealing primarily with the management of natural resources), Geoff’s extensive career has been principally associated with land and resource management in the South Island high country. Geoff enjoys tramping and cycling with his wife, Mary-Ann.
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Otago, Waitaki and the Catlins | Ōtākou, Waitaki me ngā Catlins
Amie Pont
Amie moved to rural Māniatoto after gaining a degree in Marketing Management and Design at Otago and travelling the world for two years. Living in a sparse geographical area with a population of just 1200, she found her focus moving towards community development, communications and promotions. Amie is the chair of the local arts council.Over the years, she has walked the Routeburn, Hollyford, Copland Track to Welcome Flat hut (twice), Rees Dart and parts of the Silverpeaks tracks and is looking forward to sharing these and many others with her children.
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Queenstown Lakes and Southland | Tāhuna me Te Taurapa o Te Waka
Richard Ryall
BSc (Hons) Geography
Richard has lived in Queenstown for 30 years and loves the small community’s energy and constant evolution. He grew up in England and spent 10 years in Japan, becoming fluent in Japanese and beginning to work in tourism. His varied working life has provided an array of life experiences that never ceases to surprise him.
His work has included the gaining and maintenance of DOC concessions, resource consents and mountains of paperwork, thankfully balanced with a lot of time in the outdoors with his clients. He loves tramping, skiing and cycling, and, along with his wife, has almost completed the 3,000km Te Araroa Trail over a period of 9 years. Some writing assignments for Lonely Planet keep him inquisitive about his surroundings.
Richard hopes the work he does with the Commission adds something to the region that has given him so much.