Team
HMWCG Committee
We are a group of local sheep and beef farming families who have the privilege of living alongside the Hikaroroa / Mt Watkin Reserve. This place is more than just our backyard—it's a landscape we know, love, and are deeply committed to protecting.
Our shared passion is to see Hikaroroa thrive. By reducing pest numbers and restoring native habitats, we're helping to create a healthier environment where our unique plants, birds and wildlife can flourish for generations to come. It's incredibly rewarding to see the positive changes already taking place, and we're excited by what the future holds.
While our committee helps guide the project behind the scenes, we're also passionate about rolling up our sleeves and getting involved. We work closely with Jamie and the on-the-ground team, supporting them wherever we can, and you'll often find us out on trapping weekends, enjoying the outdoors while contributing to something that benefits our whole community.
Hikaroroa is a project built on passion, partnership and people. We're proud to be part of its journey and look forward to seeing this special place continue to flourish for many years to come.
The Neighbours
Surrounding Landowners
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The Hikaroroa Mt Watkin Conservation Group started as the group of landowners surrounding the mountain, who have come together to achieve meaningful pest control across a wider landscape, and to support the conservation work happening in the DCC Reserve. By working together, they are currently doing conservation work across approximately 6,000 hectares of farmland with remnant forest and ecologically significant boulder field shrublands. This group forms the backbone of the community project.
Operations Team
Jamie
HMWCG Project Coordinator
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Jamie Hickling completed a Predator Free New Zealand (PFNZ) apprenticeship in 2023. During the apprenticeship, he became part of predator control operations at Hikaroroa Mt. Watkin, and was a founding member of the Hikaroroa Mt. Watkin Conservation Group. He serves as the group’s Project Coordinator for the DOC Community Fund grant.
Jamie has always been passionate about the outdoors, wildlife ecology and conservation. Growing up mostly in the U.S., he returned to his native New Zealand in 2021 to enrol in the PFNZ apprenticeship programme, after having previously worked in Fiordland for Mammalian Corrections Unit (MCU).
MCU
Conservation Pest Control Specialists
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The Mammalian Corrections Unit (MCU) acts as a contractor and technical advisor to both the DCC and the Conservation Group for operations in the Hikaroroa area. They provide a team of skilled field staff in predator control and monitoring operations to support the HMWCG project, working closely with Jamie and the landowners to ensure that ongoing conservation efforts are effective, adapting to changing conditions over time, while being cost-efficient in their operations.
Diane
Administration Lead
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Diane is a former business professor, turned conservation support enthusiast now that she’s retired from academia. She brings 30+ years of business operations and financial management skills to her volunteer role as a business administrator for the Hikaroroa Mt. Watkin Conservation Group.
Graham
Photographer/Videographer
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Graham is a wildlife ecologist who uses his photography and video skills in his work capturing animal behaviours. He brings his artistic skills to HMWCG, photographing and documenting our work and progress over time.
Community Volunteers
Volunteers
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The HMWCG appreciates the community spirit of those who volunteer their time and effort to conduct pest control and monitoring operations on and around Hikaroroa Mt Watkin. The team pictured here worked together in December 2025 on a semi-annual possum control operation over a 3-day weekend of hard work coupled with good kai and fun times together.