Julia has worn a few hats with the project, so she’s got an amazing knowledge of the species and people who make Te Manahuna Aoraki so special.

When she first joined she primarily monitored species so we could judge how our predator control helped their survival. You would often find her in the braided river beds looking for nesting banded dotterells/tūturiwhatu, black-fronted terns/‎tarapirohe or black billed gulls/tarāpuka. 

She now works as our community ranger and has also done a stint as acting project manager.

Julia has a BSc in psychology, ecology and biodiversity, and a Masters in Conservation Biology from Victoria University.

Prior to joining the project Julia worked for three years with the orange-fronted parakeet/kākāriki karaka recovery team.  These birds are very rare and only found in beech forests around Arthur’s Pass and Lake Sumner.