New chief to spread the word on heritage

By PHILIP ENGLISH

The new Auckland conservator, Rob McCallum, aims to make people more aware of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage.

Familiar with some of the world's wildest terrain, including the South Island's West Coast, Mr McCallum has taken over the reins of the Department of Conservation's northern regional office in Auckland.

The former Franz Josef area manager has been with the department and the old Lands and Survey Department for 17 years.

He has also worked for the United Nations, advising Papua New Guinea on conservation.

"The West Coast conservancy has a huge amount of biodiversity in two million hectares but with a very small population of about 35,000 whereas Auckland is more of the converse of that. But the level of challenges are probably the same.

"I've always been interested in operational conservation management. A conservator's job is one of the most interesting jobs in the department in that respect.

"I've been privileged to work in a number of interesting places. I thrive on change really."

Mr McCallum said people knew what the department was but one of his aims was to make people more aware of our natural and historical heritage.

"When people think about conservation they often think of whales, kiwi, kakapo and tuatara.

"They do not always think about historic heritage but it is a sizeable portion of the department's overall mission.

"From a conservation management perspective, Auckland is actually quite a strategic place because a third of all New Zealanders live here, consequently a third of all schoolchildren live here as well as a third of the MPs and a third of all the people we need to have a relationship with.

"If we can invest in conservation awareness or public awareness here, it will have a downstream effect beyond the Auckland region."

Mr McCallum said he would also work to maintain partnerships with local iwi and Auckland's governmental and non-governmental agencies who were all working towards similar goals.

"We are a small conservancy in New Zealand's largest metropolis so we need to work in a partnership relationship with a number of entities."

He counts Little Barrier Island or Hauturu, a scientific reserve in the Hauraki Gulf, as one of his favourite places, along with Antarctica.