Charmaine Petereit
Community Conservation Practitioner | Aotearoa New Zealand
Supporting place-based biodiversity restoration and long-term environmental stewardship
Currently focused on leadership and delivery through the Takaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust
Kia ora,
My work centres on strengthening communities to care for the landscapes they live within. Over the past two decades, I have worked alongside landowners, volunteers, councils and environmental organisations to support practical, grounded conservation initiatives.
I believe enduring environmental outcomes are built slowly — through relationships, trust, ecological understanding, and sustained commitment to place.
Today, my primary focus is the long-term protection and restoration of Takaka Hill ecosystems through governance and operational leadership within the Takaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust.
About and Values
Purpose, mission statement and core values
Expertise and Experience
Published work, resume and outline of competitive advantages
News and Media
Work featured in the news and media
Approach
Building strong community groups is steady, patient work. It requires more than enthusiasm. It calls for:
Clear governance and accountability
Transparent funding structures
Realistic, place-based ecological strategies
Meaningful volunteer and landowner engagement
Long-term thinking beyond political and funding cycles
When conservation is grounded in place — shaped by those who understand the landscape and intend to steward it over time — outcomes are more resilient and credible.
Healthy ecosystems and healthy communities are interdependent. Protecting them is an exercise in intergenerational stewardship, requiring shared responsibility and the discipline to think in decades rather than years.
Monitoring native grass skinks within a Significant Natural Area (SNA) on retired farmland — practical, place-based conservation in action.
Current Focus
I am presently dedicated to governance and operational leadership within the Takaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust, supporting:
Predator control networks
Native habitat restoration
Wilding pine management advocacy
Biodiversity monitoring
Strategic funding and agency collaboration
This work reflects a long-term commitment to ecological integrity and community capability.
Contact
For matters relating to the Takaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust, please contact the Trust directly.
For other professional enquiries, contact via the form provided.