Our Trustees
Our board of trustees advise and steer the direction of Kaharoa Kōkako Trust through dedicated leadership and sound decision-making. Here’s our list of current trustees.
Graeme Young
Chair (2008; 2021 - present)
Trustee: 2007 - 2013; 2015 - present
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Graeme has been a volunteer for KKT since 1998 and is retired these days. He spends lots of his time working for the Trust. His work history was in forestry, including 21 years of active research and 4 years of research management for an industry body.
But his entire career involved investigative work, problem solving, data management and development of methodologies to resolve issues, skills which he applies for the Trust. Graeme currently manages all of the KKT databases, infrastructure requirements, and oversees the trapping. He is passionate about continual improvement, the need for monitoring, and for recording results. He also represents KKT on the Kōkako Ecosystem Expansion Programme and the Paraiti Catchment Care Group.
Outside KKT, he assists with kiwi call counts and bird monitoring for a number of areas, and has managed water bird surveys for Rotorua’s DOC office, and coordinated community-based weweia (dabchick) surveys.
Carmel Richardson
Secretary (occasionally, as required)
Trustee: 1998 - present
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Carmel has worked with kōkako in Kaharoa since the early 1990s. She has been involved in all of the survey work, is the Trust’s representative to the Kōkako Recovery Group, and is the Trust’s manager of Biodiversity and Monitoring. She founded the concept of corridor work from Kaharoa and also represents the Trust for the Kōkako Ecosystem Expansion Programme and the Paraiti Catchment Care Group.
Trained in horticulture, plants are a lifelong love. Carmel has worked for 18-plus years at the National Kiwi Hatchery, and contracts her field skills to a range of bird monitoring consultancies.
Carmel is passionate about her environmental advocacy and is much sought after to give presentations on our work or as a host for visitors to the Kaharoa forest. She is particularly active in the education of school children.
Laurence Kirk
Trustee: 2016 - present
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Laurence has been a local volunteer for KKT since 1998. He is currently working full time having spent 10 years with a local Stock & Station company and nearly 30 years in local government. Throughout his career, he has been involved in all aspects of agricultural business and local network infrastructure operations, renewals and planning. He has skills in computer programming, database development/management, data analysis and financial control… But he prefers outdoor fieldwork.
Laurence is currently involved in weed control, various monitoring activities, and looks after the Onaia East trapping network.
Outside of the Trust, he runs a small dry stock farm in the Kaharoa district with his wife on which they raise beef cattle. He also enjoys fishing and hunting when he can get the time.
Adrienne Smith
Trustee: 2023 - present
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Adrienne is a local primary school teacher, with 20+ years of teaching experience, both in New Zealand and abroad, She has been involved in running conservation classes within local primary schools for a number of years.
Adrienne is a graduate of the Bay Conservation Alliance conservation cadet programme. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in accounting and finance.
Adrienne is passionate about our taiao and expanding the environmental-based knowledge of people of all ages. She loves spending her free time exploring the native forest, and learning more about all of the flora and fauna that interconnect to form a healthy and thriving forest system.
Dale Williams
Trustee: 1998 - 2005; 2015 - present
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Dale was one of the original Trustees, and his association with Kaharoa Forest goes back even further to the 1980s, when he worked as a science technician with the Forest Research Institute.
His career with FRI, DOC and currently the BOP Regional Council has centred around researching, managing, and advising on pest control and threatened species management. Dale is as much a botanist and native forest ecologist as a zoologist and ornithologist. He has worked most of his career in Rotorua, apart from a stint on the Chatham Islands and a period based in Wellington running a national training programme for DOC. In his own words, he taught people “how to kill plants and animals, save plants and animals and monitor plants and animals”.
Dale is the Trust’s Health and Safety Officer and as a keen hunter, he is also the Ungulate portfolio manager. Due to his long career in pest management, he’s the Trust’s expert on pesticides, their application and the legal requirements around their use.
Brian Richardson
Trustee: 2020 - present
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Brian has volunteered for KKT for over 10 years. He is semi-retired but still works part-time for Scion (NZ Forest Research Institute). His 41-year career has involved a range of science and science management roles, including being part of Scion's executive management team from 2008-2016. Brian's research interests are particularly focused on forest biosecurity, insect and disease management, weed research and aerial spray application. More recently, Brian continues to work with Scion and the forestry industry to improve aerial pesticide application efficiency through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Brian currently supports a range of KKT activities, including managing the Adopt-a-Track database and helping to write funding applications. He is a registered forestry professional under the NZ Institute of Forestry scheme and a member of the NZ Plant Protection Society.
Outside KKT, Brian enjoys rock climbing, mountaineering and still manages the occasional caving trip.
Awards:
- 2015: Awarded the Forester of the Year by the NZ Institute of Forestry
- 2019: Science New Zealand lifetime achievement award.
- 2022: Awarded the NZ Plant Protection Medal by the NZ Plant Protection Society
- 2024: Awarded the Minister's Biosecurity Award at the NZ Biosecurity Awards.
Michael Richards
Trustee: 2023 - present
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Michael has been volunteering with the Trust since early 2019 and became a trustee in 2023, initially to focus on the introduction of the new website, and to lead the development of a more structured approach to onboarding newcomer volunteers, including a ‘volunteer workday handbook’.
Michael has a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and a passion for outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing and scuba diving.
When not at work or play, Michael is busy helping raise his young family—some of the next generation of carers for the Kaharoa kōkako, who are regular attendees at work days.
George Baigent
Trustee: 2024 - present
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George became a Trustee of the Kaharoa Kōkako Trust in 2024, following his involvement in a range of conservation projects across the region. He studied Environmental Management at Toi Ohomai and completed a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Waikato.
He now works in Rotorua as a Land Management Officer for Toi Moana – Bay of Plenty Regional Council, supporting the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme and contributing to the protection and restoration of the region’s natural environment.
Outside of work, George volunteers with Land Search and Rescue and enjoys spending as much time as possible in the outdoors. He’s often mountain biking in Whakarewarewa Forest, tramping in the ngahere, snowboarding, scuba diving around Mt Maunganui and Whitianga, or bikepacking through Aotearoa’s landscapes.
KeriAnn Birch
Trustee: 2025 - present
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KeriAnn joined the Kaharoa Kōkako Trust as a trustee in 2025, bringing her strong financial expertise and operational skills to the team. As the founder of a local accountancy and bookkeeping practice, she works closely with small and medium-sized businesses across the Bay of Plenty, helping them to build robust systems and achieve long-term sustainability.
KeriAnn brings to the Trust a practical understanding of governance, financial management, and strategic planning. She is particularly interested in strengthening community engagement and ensuring the Trust’s ongoing financial health so that conservation work can continue to thrive.
Living rurally in Kaharoa with her partner and dogs, and with a love for the outdoors, KeriAnn has a deep appreciation for New Zealand’s natural environment and the importance of protecting it. Outside of her professional life, she is an accomplished clay target shooter, active sportsperson, and long-time supporter of local community initiatives.
Keen to Get Involved at Kaharoa?
We’re always looking for more support to help the biodiversity of Kaharoa Forest to thrive - whether that be through volunteering, providing financial resources, or other forms of in-kind support. Learn more by clicking one of the buttons below.
