For some, the work through Jobs for Nature has been a temporary measure to pay the bills, or a way to keep their business afloat, and for others it’s a career move into full time environmental work.

Before COVID-19, Caitlin worked in the hospitality sector in England. She lost her job and decided to return to New Zealand. Following a brief stint on unemployment benefit, Caitlin was offered a role as a tree planter on a Jobs for Nature funded project in the Punungairo/Bullock Creek area.

 She accepted the job and said it had provided her with an enormous sense of personal fulfilment. She says she loves to be in the outdoors, growing things and being part of bringing back wildlife to the Paparoa Ranges.

For others, Jobs for Nature has meant reconnecting with the whenua, like on the Jobs for Nature funded Wairarapa Moana Wetlands project. “The opportunity for jobs and to have our whānau be able to contribute back to the health of the lake means reconnection because we know we are intrinsically linked to it,” said Amber Craig, of Rangitāne o Wairarapa.

For Ivan Knauf, a dairy farmer in Hawkes Bay, the Jobs for Nature funding has meant that he can finally start to restore a wetland on his farm after 15 years of trying to secure funding. The Jobs for Nature funding has paid for 4km of fencing to go up to protect a 90-hectare wetland that has been inundated by deer and other pests. For Ivan, he feels like “he’s finally getting somewhere.”

These stories are just a few of the thousands out there that have been positively impacted by the Jobs for Nature programme in the last year.

This mahi is helping our taonga species thrive, clean up waterways, and bring us closer to leaving a resilient environment for future generations. 

Jobs for Nature is a once in a generation opportunity to create a better future for the natural world we depend on and those who live in it. 

Video: “It’s been perfect, it’s exactly what I want to be, outside helping the environment. It’s good for the soul” — Adam Haack, Trainee Ranger working on Project Mahitahi, Nelson