Board of Trustees
Mr Grant Adams, trustee since 2010. Grant and his wife Dulcie have lived in Kerikeri since 1988, where they own and operate a kiwifruit orchard. They have two adult children. Grant has a background in the timber supply and building industries, having worked as a precut draftsman and manager of a building company in New Zealand and Britain. Grant and Dulcie have spent a lot of time ocean cruising and living on boats. Grant was a scout and venturer leader from 2000 to 2005, holding the position of Assistant District Commissioner for a time. He was a Mountain Safety Council outdoor leader for 5 years and for the last 6 years has been an active member of Far North Search and Rescue. In the last few years Grant has worked as a volunteer with the Department of Conservation, helping with the kokako programme, kiwi monitoring and building projects. He was part of the Puketi Forest Trust team that captured toutouwai at Mangatutu for the first transfer to Puketi in 2009.
Mrs Cherry Beaver, trustee since 2010. Cherry and her husband Ian have lived on a small farm bordering Puketi forest next to Forest Pools for nearly 20 years. Ian grew up locally and went to school in Okaihau. They met overseas and travelled a lot before returning to Northland about 30 years ago. They have two adult children. Cherry owns and operates the Cherry Blossom Florist shop in Kerikeri. Cherry spends her working days surrounded by colourful flowers and the rest of her time with the restful hues of the Puketi Forest trees. She feels a duty to do whatever she can to preserve and enhance the forest. Cherry and Ian have been members of the Puketi Forest Trust since 2005 and have monitored kiwi from the hill in the forest above Forest Pools, which is just behind their house.
Dr. Gary Bramley, Forest and Bird representative, founding chairman and current treasurer. Gary is a local of Kaeo, where his family has lived since 1859. Many of his father's family were bushmen and Bramley's Ridge in Puketi Forest was named after his grandfather, Jack Bramley. Gary and his wife Carey have three children aged 8, 6 and 5 and own a small farm near the forest (formerly owned by Gary's father and grandfather). Gary works as a consulting ecologist for Mitchell Partnerships in Auckland. He has degrees in zoology and ecology from Massey University and the University of Waikato and was also the chairperson of the Far North Branch of Forest and Bird for many years. Gary provides valuable scientific support to the Trust and is closely involved in strategic planning, public relations and grant applications.
Mr John Dawn(Jnr), trustee since 2007 and current chairman. John and his wife, Seok have lived in Kerikeri since 2005. John grew up and went to school in Kerikeri and trained as a civil engineer. He has worked in New Zealand, Brunei and Singapore and is now retired and developing an orchard. The couple have one son. John has long had an interest in conservation. His father, John Snr, is an active member of Forest and Bird in the Far North and has administered the society's lodge at Pukenui for many years. John(Jnr) has been a member of Forest and Bird since 1987 and prior to that was an active member of the Malaysian Nature Society. John became involved in the Trust's work when he organised the transport of several hundred rat traps into the forest via helicopter in 2007.
Mrs Keri Molloy, founding trustee and secretary since 2007. Keri and her husband Bob live in Kerikeri, where Keri works as a journalist and edits the local community paper, "The Bay Chronicle". Bob and Keri have lived in Kerikeri for 25 years and have two grown daughters. Keri has always loved nature and has been involved in conservation. She is passionate about protecting natural areas and allowing people access to them. Keri is also an artist and has exhibited her work regularly in Kerikeri over the last few years.
Mrs Barbara Nock, founding trustee. Barbara was born in Palmerston North in 1937 and moved to the Bay of Islands in 1968. She is the widow of Graham Nock who passed away in July 2005. Both Barbara and her husband have been involved in the communities where they live. She has four sons and 16 grandchildren, ranging in age from 21 years down to seven. In her earlier years, Barbara and her family spent many happy hours in Puketi Forest enjoying the forest and the bird life. Later on in life, it saddened her greatly to visit a silent forest. As a result, she was delighted to be approached to be a trustee to work to reinstate the forest and joined the Puketi Forest Trust as Treasurer, putting her background as accountant to good use for the Trust. Barbara is looking forward to returning the dawn chorus to the forest for her great grandchildren and generations to come.
Mr Gordon Salt, trustee since 2007. Gordon and his wife Frances have lived in Kerikeri for 6 years and have two grown children. Gordon has been a builder and now owns an orchard as well. Gordon has always been interested in plants and birds and enjoys tramping and being in the forest. He was a Sea Scout leader for 24 years. Gordon's children are also interested in New Zealand flora and fauna with his son having a Diploma in Sustainable Land Management. Gordon's building skills are put to good use developing display materials for the Trust and building trap boxes and other equipment.
Mr Wiremu Williams, Piki Te Aroha Marae representative and founding trustee. Wiremu and his whanau live in Moerewa. Wiremu is also a trustee of the Waitangi National Trust that administers the Treaty Grounds and visitor centre at Waitangi. Wiremu is a keen carver and is responsible for the pou erected in 2003 at Waihoanga to mark the establishment of the Puketi Forest Trust. Wiremu has been a keen supporter of conservation at Puketi since the reintroduced kokako were killed by stoats in the 1990s. His comment that "before we can bring these birds back we need to clean out the nest" has resonated with all the trustees and is regularly referred to. Wiremu is also involved with his mokopuna and on other committees, including the marae management committee, and in training young people to paddle traditional waka.
Mr Ian Wilson, founding trustee. Ian and his wife, June, purchased a 143 hectare dairy farm on the southern side of Puketi Forest in 1980. They quickly realised that the biodiversity in the 40 hectares of forest on their property made it an area worth protecting. Over the next ten years they erected 12 kilometres of fence to keep stock out of the bush, streams and wetlands. They also protected the main block of bush in perpetuity with a QEII National Trust Open Space Covenant. The Wilson's commitment to minimise the impact of their operation on the environment was recognised in 1998 when the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Northland presented them with an Environmental Management in Business Award. For many years, Ian has been actively involved with the Far North Branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, being chairman for four years. His contribution to conservation in the Far North was acknowledged in 1993 when he was awarded the "Old Blue" Award. A year later the Department of Conservation "acknowledged the contribution (he) has made to the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historic heritage" at their annual awards function. Ian is a member of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand and the Auckland Botanical Society. The couple sold their high producing dairy herd in 2007 and are now beef farming with their son, David. David has a strong interest in Puketi and was the contractor responsible for marking out the new rat lines in early 2007. Ian and June are the Trust's powerhouse, with June producing the newsletters and administering our database of members and sponsors. Ian organises the pest control contracts and equipment and does much of the detailed planning required to keep the trust running.