Ms Lisa Whittle, of Wellington, MNZM for services to wildlife conservation
Lisa Whittle has been instrumental in the return of native bird species to parts of Wellington. She volunteers with Ruahine Whio Protectors and is a Trustee of Manaaki Ruahine Trust. She co-founded and leads the Wellington volunteer group Ngā Kaimanaaki o Te Waimapihi, caring for the Waimapihi Reserve. She has helped pioneer a new form of urban conservation that has seen Wellington become an international benchmark. She has supported the increase in volunteer-driven predator control across Wellington’s urban reserves. She was Capability Development Manager with the Department of Conservation. Ms Whittle strengthened DOC’s Trainee Ranger Programme for rangatahi and enabled members of the public to access specialist DOC training.