Debbie grew up in Havelock in the Marlborough Sounds and moved to Dovedale 38 years ago. She has 4 children, and her husband is a 5th generation farmer. The farm has 20 hectares of protected older native forest and they have undertaken considerable amounts of planting and pest control, along with retiring land to natives. Debbie feels being in MCC is an extension of her beliefs, and she loves working with many amazing, passionate people to help keep the Motueka catchment beautiful.

Dayveen lives in Whakatū, Nelson and is the Pou Taiao of Ngāti Tama ki Te Tauihu. She is also an iwi representative on the Nelson Tasman Climate Forum and was a speaker at the 2023 Rivers Group Conference.

Nick lives in the Riwaka catchment area. He is a science teacher at a local school and you can find him coaching juniors on Fridays at the Motueka Squash courts. He is a volunteer for the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust checking the traps at the back of Torrent Bay each month. He would like the water quality of the Motueka river to be such that we can swim in it without worry. He would also like to see the river margins by the Motueka bridge planted in natives with spaces for locals to swim and enjoy the environment.

Kate lives in Tapawera and works as an educator at Tasman Bay Guardians. Kate is passionate about native restoration and helping the community. She looks after the Tapawera community nursery, and runs events on plant propagation ...

Helen is a native restoration specialist. She has worked as a restoration planting supervisor for Project Janszoon for 8 years, for the Motuora Restoration Society and as an independent consultant specialising in restoration since 2000, Helen knows a great deal about how to successfully grow and plant an area to restore it.

Bill lives in Dovedale and manages the Dovedale Community Native Plant Nursery, which supplied 4,000 plants to the Dove catchment residents last year. Bill’s nursery mostly grows coloniser species, and he is always hunting for a better or more efficient way to grow something. Bill got involved in the MCC as he thought it was about time he did his bit to help the environment. – See more about Bill here

Annette lives in the lower Motueka Catchment. She has an extensive background in agriculture and has been the Nelson/Tasman Regional Coordinator for NZ Landcare Trust for 7 years. She enjoys helping landowners, farmers and the community do their mahi to help the environment. She helped achieve amazing gains in the Moutere catchment and is now extending that to the Motueka catchment. Out of work she supports a community nursery supplying free native plants to her local community and is trying to restore an area of gorse to a native forest. Finishing her house and growing her own food occupies her time too and like most of us she swims, kayaks, walks and bikes around our lovely region.

Helen is Tasman District Council Motueka Catchment facilitator and a member of the Biodiversity, Freshwater, and River Access Thematic Groups. Helen’s TDC role is about integrative catchment management and the implementation of the new Freshwater Farm Plan regulations. Helen was born and raised in Motueka and some of her very first memories are of swimming in the Motueka awa and tramping in Kahurangi National Park. Before her TDC role she worked for DOC as the Community Ranger, managed Tasman Bay Guardians, and co-managed Abel Tasman Eco Tours. She has a strong passion for water quality, biodiversity and community engagement and is currently restoring a 2.5-hectare ex-forestry block of her own.

Dana lives in Motueka with her two children Eva and Lily, husband James and dog Tua. She is passionate about looking after the environment and loves living in Te Tau Ihu (top of the south).

Dana is the chair of the Motueka South School Board. She has a background in environmental planning, team leadership, and environmental education. Mostly recently she was the coordinator of the nature connection programme at Whenua Iti including to help connect tamariki with restoration projects around the Tasman District.

Dana would love to hear from you if you have a story or photos to share about the catchment. Please contact her at: dana@motuekacatchment.org.nz

Ollie lives with his wife and two young children on the West Bank of the Motueka Valley on a large hillside property that he is restoring as a lifetime project. He has his own plant nursery on the property where he has planted over 10,000 plants, and also created a QEII covenant on nine hectares of the property as well as setting up extensive trap lines.