About us

The Whangawehi catchment Management Group is a group of landowners, tangata whenua, marae, local government agencies and local school representatives working together to mitigate the impact from a new wastewater plant, land use and lead environmental work and education in the community.

The group shares the desire to encourage the protection of the Whangawehi river catchment area by increasing water quality and the habitat for freshwater and estuarine species through the improvement of the unique biodiversity that it encompasses.

Our Mission Statement is : “Ki te ora te wai, ka ora ai te katoa”.

The group started its activities in 2010, in Mahia, Northern Hawkes Bay, thanks to the dedication and commitment of a few determined volunteers who have led the way by strengthening existing networks and engaging positively with agencies.

The whangawehi community is passionate about their long term goals and hope that their journey will help other groups overcome their environmental issues, build community interest in conservation work, transfer traditional knowledge (Matauranga Maori) to younger generations and raise awareness on the impact of landuse on water quality and fresh water habitats. By developing a successful template, the group hopes that they will make a difference for the generations to come and challenge the entire community to do better in terms of management of our precious natural resources.

About the role

The WCMG is seeking to engage a part time person (1.5 day/month during one year) to assist the group and landowners in their pest control effort. The WCMG is in the development phase and has already a number of traps laid out on the ground. Traps are maintained by landowners on a monthly basis but a more frequent maintenance policy would be favourable — every fortnight- especially in the spring/summer period. This project worker will be required to assist landowners in their trap maintenance effort and make sure traps are maintained every month during the autumn, winter period and every fortnight in the spring summer period. The officer will have to report catches to the Project Coordinator on a monthly basis.

• About you :

• Qualifications, skills and experience :

A passion for conservation, you will have a proven track record working in conservation projects including pest control in rural communities.

• Proven ability to evolve on farm land /forestry using a GPS.
• Proven ability to work with a range of landowners and relate to their industry.
• Proven ability to communicate effectively and report on time.

• Personal attributes and behavioural competencies:

• The ability to plan and work effectively on his/her own.
• Maturity, commitment, availability and ability to carry out direction and instructions.
• The ability to deliver administrative requirements including monthly reports.
• Availability to undertake frequent travel throughout the Mahia area and prepared to work during weekends.
• A positive “can do” attitude.
• Enthusiasm and a cheerful disposition.

• Physical requirements/ other

• A full and current driver licence, ATV licence, a Public Liability Insurance as well as a personal Health and Safety Plan.
• The job holder must be able to physically carry out the functions of the position.

To Apply

To apply, please send a covering letter and Curriculum Vitae to Rae Te Nahu , secretary of the WCMG : rae.tenahu@xtra.co.nz or Nic Caviale Delzescaux, project coordinator : caviale@hbrc.govt.nz. To find out more about the group, please visit whangawehi.com

This is a fixed term position for 12 months.