Our People
Our Patron
Kim Hill
Broadcaster Kim Hill, has holidayed in Golden Bay for over 20 years. She takes daily walks across the Puponga farm park, experiencing the expansive views, the environment and the birdlife. Kim looks forward to a time when the birds and other wildlife are back in abundance for her, her mokopuna and future generations to enjoy.
Our Board
Peter Butler
Healthpost Nature Trust Chair
Peter Butler, whose family business founded the Trust in 2017, has been involved with natural health products for several decades.
After leaving university and working in publishing, he bought a 90-acre bush block in a “barely accessible” area of Golden Bay.
After experimenting with kiwifruit and other crops he researched indigenous herbs, finding that the horopito shrub that grew on his land had unique medicinal properties, leading him to develop the Kolorex range of products.
“This led to investing in the online supplement business HealthPost, which grew to become the biggest online supplement business in New Zealand. We started donating $1 for every order to worthwhile charities and in a few years had donated over a million dollars. Now we focus our giving, and most of my time, on HealthPost Nature Trust, dedicated to creating a wondrous nature sanctuary at the North West tip of the South Island.”
Dr Lucy Butler
HealthPost Sustainability Lead,
HealthPost Nature Trust founding member
Peter’s daughter Lucy, joined her father as a founding member of the Trust. Lucy is HealthPost’s Sustainability Lead, with a mission to have a lasting, positive impact on the wellbeing of people and the planet.
“I’ve been inspired by the knowledge and commitment of the veteran conservationists I work with in this role and have gained a much deeper appreciation of the outstanding ecological significance of the area where I was raised. Living and working in Mohua/Golden Bay, I’m naturally connected to the significance, both environmental and cultural, of the HealthPost Nature Trust’s restoration work, for the HealthPost team and local community, and the uplifting impact of working together to create positive change.”
Craig Potton
MNZM
Craig Potton is one of New Zealand’s best known and respected landscape photographers, and an ardent conservationist. Born in Nelson, he has a holiday home in Golden Bay, enjoying its diverse environment.
“I’ve been a lover of wild places and native creatures and plants my whole life. The shattering realisation that we were destroying our incredible wilderness led me to my life’ work in conservation through political activism and my photography. I received the MNZM over a decade ago for this service and have continued to remain very active in conservation. I’m one of three ambassadors for Forest and Bird and am delighted to help in the restoration of the Farewell Spit region, as it is a place dear to my heart. It’s an extraordinary place of diverse habitats and I can think of few other places on our mainland more appropriate for restoring seabirds back into the ecosystems.”
Dr Chris Wheatley
Chris Wheatley became involved with the HealthPost Nature Trust in 2018, soon after it was formed.
Chris was born and educated in the United Kingdom but says he left as soon as he could, spending his 20s and 30s working in South America and Asia for a network of international agricultural research centres. He arrived in New Zealand in 2000, and continued as a consultant on many international aid projects until 2020. Over time, his emphasis switched from agriculture to sustainable rural livelihoods and ecosystems, including with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. He has a depth of experience in project design, fundraising and management. This has involved several complex projects, for a range of donors, with diverse partners and stakeholders, and including indigenous communities.
“ I was excited by the potential to kick-start ecological restoration of this unique area around Farewell Spit with a group of people keen to get stuff done.”
Archdeacon Emeritus Harvey Ruru QSM
Harvey (of Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, and Moriori).
Te Atiawa o te waka a Maui Trust and Te Atiawa Manawhenua ki Te Tau Ihu Trust continuously serving foundation Trustee, and former Vice-Chair and Chairperson since 1993 and has had a long involvement as Co-Chief claims negotiator for Te Ātiawa Trust towards the Waitangi Tribunal Te Tau Ihu Claims settlement process, successfully providing eight researched Waitangi Tribunal Claims to The Waitangi Tribunal.
Harvey is an Anglican Priest. He is a former Tasman NZ Police District Iwi Liaison Officer and is now retired. He is the longest serving NZ Māori Council and NZ Māori Council Executive member of which he is current Co-Chair and has wide ranging governance experience and member of Iwi/Māori and other organisations, such as: the Cawthron Institute Trust Board; a former member of the Chief Judge Māori Land Court Rules Committee; and, Te Taumata Governance member of the South Island Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency.
Ko Au te Whenua, Te Whenua ko Au – I am the Land, the Land is Me. Hauora – Well Health of the whenua is my obligation to Papatuanuku – Earth Mother and all that she embraces.
“I’m honoured my obligations to Papatuanuku is embraced alongside HealthPost Nature Trust conservation and sustainable community involvement journey.”
Meet Marian our Project Coordinator
Marian Milne has worked for the Trust since July 2020.
During that time, she has built up a strong group of volunteers of up to 30 locals on some days, with a core group of around 15.
Marian brings considerable experience to our work. She has been involved for many years with the Friends of the Cobb in Upper Takaka trapping and monitoring for predators. A veterinarian by profession, she has also worked on contract for the Department of Conservation conducting bird surveys, field research and pest monitoring as well as bird surveying on Little Barrier Island for a similar Trust in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.
Marian says she’s driven by a passion for helping others to engage in the natural world. But her work has some challenges.
“Nature trust is committed to no toxin use, which I totally support but does limit the ways in which we can respond to changing threats from incursions in the sanctuary area and across the landscape. There’s more work required to problem solve and seek solutions.”
She shares the Trust’s vision for a “wondrous accessible sanctuary”.
“I look forward to seeing the wetland transform with the plantings and the hillsides. The Ecosanctuary area is rapidly changing with plantings and the action and engagement around the bird translocation is very exciting. It is a high value environment already and all we are doing is making it better and better.”