Our team

James Willcocks
Project Director, Kaiwhakahaere Matua
James has led Predator Free Wellington since it begain in 2017. He previously worked at the Department of Conservation for 16 years, in operational and project roles, and also led the National Volunteering Team.
He is driven by the power of engaging communities to create outcomes that benefit everyone and our native taonga.

John Hambidge
Project Leader, Kaiwhakakaupapa Kaitiakitanga
John has worked for the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GW) for over a decade, working in biosecurity and pest animal management. Before that he worked in construction and brought those practical skills to GW. In 2018, GW became delivery partners for Predator Free Wellington. John leads the delivery partnership and the people that work on it, and acts as a link between PFW and GW
Motivated to find solutions to the challenging issue of making Wellington predator-free, John enjoys building the team necessary to achieve that goal.

Isaac Nash
Operational Lead
Isaac holds a BSc in Ecology from Victoria University of Wellington. He previously worked as an Eradication Technical Officer at PFW and says most of his technical experience has come from this project – a great example of building capability in-house.
Isaac loves to see the pace of the project increasing as we learn and refine our methods. He finds it exciting to be part of an internationally significant biodiversity project.

Briony Ellis
Partnerships & Philanthropy
Briony has worked in major events, partnerships and public engagement, in the arts, festivals, sporting events, museums and public projects. She’s been a volunteer trapper since 2016, and runs trapping projects across the greater Wellington area. Combining her work and volunteer passions ‘was the best move ever!’
Briony is driven by the moonshot mission to make Aotearoa New Zealand predator-free by 2050 and the value that brings people and nature – the tūī and kākā are raucous daily reminders that we are doing the right thing!

Kylie Reeves
Communications Manager
Passionate about making conservation accessible to everyone, Kylie brings 15 years of experience in communications and community engagement, alongside a Masters in Organisational Communication. For the past five years at Predator Free Wellington, she has focused on finding innovative ways to engage whole communities – not just environmentalists – to protect our native species.
Currently leading impact communications and our Most Significant Change research project, Kylie works to demonstrate why predator free work matters and how everyone can play a part in this transformation.

David Klein
Communications Programme Lead
David has a BSc in Biological Science from Canterbury University and has worked in hospitality, event management and communications. Previous roles included comms for Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision and a sustainability consultancy. He runs our website, social media and works with our network of community trapping groups.
David is thrilled to be part of a project making such positive impacts for communities and wildlife across the city.

Emma Rowell
Eradication Technical Officer
Emma holds a BSc in Ecology and Biodiversity from Victoria University of Wellington, where she researched predator control in urban environments. She worked for DOC for three years and joined PFW in 2019, working in community engagement before moving to our technical eradication team.
With such positive changes for native wildlife in just a few years, Emma expects more remarkable results in the future, making Wellington an even more special place to live.

Linlin Liu
Eradication Technical Officer
Linlin completed her PhD in Ecology and Biodiversity at Victoria University of Wellington, exploring population dynamics in tuatara. We adapted the model she used to understand rat populations. Linlin also holds a MSc and taught high school biology for 12 years in northeastern China.
Our project is very challenging but Linlin is excited to be part of such ambitious and meaningful work. She also says the huge amount of data we now have also helps us refine how we operate.

Philip Wisker
Eradication Technical Officer
Phil studied archaeology but found preserving living animals was more satisfying than working with extinct ones. He was a zookeeper for 20 years, caring for native birds. Working for Rentokil taught Phil how to remove rats, skills he brought to PFW in 2019.
Phil says the project is making great progress. He was recently impressed by how many bird species he saw on Miramar Peninsula compared to the Marlborough Sounds.

Jay
Field Supervisor, Kaitiaki-a-papa
Jay has experience working in conservation, zoos and animal management. He volunteered as a community trapper on Rakiura Stewart Island and jumped at the chance to be one our first field operators. As a Field Supervisor he works with the team checking traps and bait stations across the city.
Seeing our project build to create a city-wide Predator Free Wellington motivates Jay. He also loves hearing from residents about the increases in wildlife they’re noticing.

Jed
Field Supervisor, Kaitiaki-a-papa

Sebastian
Field Supervisor, Kaitiaki-a-papa

Alastair
Field Supervisor Community Outreach, Kaitiaki-a-papa

David
Community Outreach Officer, Kaitiaki-a-papa
David holds a BSc in Ecology and Environmental Science from Victoria University of Wellington. He started as a Field Operator after roles with Conservation Volunteers and as a student ranger at Auckland Council. He now works with our volunteers and with residents to gain permissions to help build our trap network
David is excited to be part of a world-first project and loves how we continue to refine all parts of our operation. The community support we receive also means a lot!

Sandra
Community Outreach Officer, Kaitiaki-a-papa

Blake
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao

Caitlin
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao

Craig
Operational Field Support Officer
Craig has a background in tourism and hospitality, connecting with people and showing them around Wellington as a tour guide. A hands-on problem solver, he also has experience on construction and farm sites. This helps with trap design, placement, innovation and maintenance – a bit of everything!
Craig finds both the work and the team inspiring and motivating, and loves to work on such an audacious project.

Ellen
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao
Ellen gained a Bachelor of Environmental Science in Ecology and Biodiversity from Victoria University of Wellington, before completing a Masters in Ecological Restoration. Her thesis involved radio-tracking rats, which gave her valuable insights into their behaviour. Ellen also guides twilight and night tours at Zealandia.
As a Field Operator, Ellen loves the positive feedback she hears about our project – people are noticing the increases in birds, insects and lizards!

Emily
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao

Keaton
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao
Keaton took the Trainee Ranger course at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. His placement was with DOC in Whangārei where he worked with pest plants, maintained walking tracks and helped fishers follow regulations. Joining our team opened up a side of conservation work that was more exciting than he imagined.
Keaton loves how his role protects the taonga of our outdoor spaces and leaves it in a better place for future generations to enjoy.

Kimi
Super sniffer

Meegan
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao
Meegan holds a Graduate Diploma in Ecology and Biodiversity, and a Masters in Conservation Biology, both from Victoria University of Wellington. Originally from warm and sunny Whangārei, she moved down to study 10 years ago and has called Wellington home ever since.
Meegan joined the team in mid-2022 and loves that our project benefits everyone in the city equally. She also loves meeting everyone’s pets when she’s checking traps at people’s homes.

Rachelle
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao

Rapu
Super sniffer
Rapu is a Border X Parsons Terrier who sniffs out rats across Wellington, especially in areas where we’ve removed predators. His dad is a wallaby detector and his mum also finds rodents.
Rapu’s handler Sally says he’s ‘a very stubborn little caricature’ but is so good at his job. He loves alternative forms of transport like quad bikes, helicopters and especially boats!

Sally
Dog handler

Sam
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao

Sean
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao

Sophie
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao
Sophie started backyard trapping in 2016 and in 2020 took over as coordinator of Predator Free Lyall Bay. She interned with us during 2021 and has completed the Department of Conservation’s Predator Trapping Methods and Conservation Field Skills courses. Sophie is especially eagle-eyed at spotting rats on camera and seeing their teeth marks on chew cards.
Sophie loves the excitement of residents when we arrive in a new area and enjoys seeing the amazing bird life in suburbs we have cleared.

Tim
Field Operator, Kaihopu taiao
Our Board

Tim Pankhurst
Chair

Bridget Abernethy
Director, Ringatohu

Denise Church
Director, Ringatohu

Devon Maclean
Director, Ringatohu

Justin Lester
Director, Ringatohu

Holden Hohaia
Director, Ringatohu

Terese Mcleod
Tuakana Teina
