Our Team
Pūkaha has a dedicated team of staff and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds including zoology, ecology, marine biology and anthropology.
The workplace comprises Visitor Centre guides, captive breeding rangers, marketing, cafe and maintenance.
Emily Court
Emily took up the reins as General Manager in October 2017. She has a diverse management background including banking, retail, economic development and international education, and holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Business Administration.
Emily is committed to taking Pūkaha to the next level both as a tourism destination and as a leader in New Zealand’s conservation community.
Jade Morris
Visitor Centre Team Leader
Jade, who grew up in the Wairarapa, joins Pūkaha with a diverse background in technology, hospitality, and sales.
He is passionate about Aotearoa’s wildlife and is committed to educating visitors about native and endemic species.
Jade is bilingual, fluent in both English and French, which allows him to connect with a broader range of visitors and enrich their experience at Pūkaha.
Christine Reed
Christine has had a long association with Pūkaha from her early career studying Kakī (black stilt) at Mount Bruce, before establishing a captive rearing and release facility for this critically endangered species in Twizel.
She returned to Wellington to work in DOC’s Threatened Species Unit, taking the national lead on captive management and the development of wildlife health capacity at DOC.
She continued her association with Pūkaha as Conservancy Advisory Scientist for Wellington Conservancy before taking up a role leading the biosecurity science and risk assessment team in MAF/MPI in 2001.
Christine started in the Biodiversity Manager role in January 2021.
Toby Cantwell
Forest Restoration Manager
After completing an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering Toby realised it wasn’t the career for him and 7 years ago moved into a conservation role doing pest control for a private company.
That job took him to many different locations across New Zealand and helped him build his knowledge of pest management.
He joined Pūkaha as part of the Rabbit Control Team in May of 2022 and moved into the Predator Manager role in August 2022. Since then, he has been busy enhancing the predator control work and building in-house capability at Pukaha. Toby is also involved in the wild kiwi program within the forest.
Rhys Watkins
Rabbit Programme Manager
Rhys joined the team at Pūkaha in September 2022, recently, taking the helm of Rabbit Control Programme lead. A Department of Conservation funded initiative that addresses the escalating rabbit population within Pūkaha and the surrounding buffer zone.
Additional to his Rabbit work, Rhys works beside the Education Director, facilitating a conservation course, held here on site.
Rhys has extensive field-based experience with pest and predator control accompanied by a bachelor’s degree in communication.
Rhys is extremely passionate about his place with the team and looks forward to utilizing his background to mould relationships and connections within Pūkaha and the wider community.
Matt Davis
Marketing Manager
Matt joined the Pūkaha team in December of 2022.
He lives on a lifestyle block surrounded by native bush in a valley just 20 minutes’ drive from Pūkaha.
He has previously worked in Pest control which gave him an understanding of the importance of Pest Management at Pūkaha. He studied broadcasting, worked as an events manager, and held management roles in the fresh food industry.
