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This program is located in one of the most picturesque cities in the world. You will join a small team of volunteers working to preserve, monitor, and re-establish our natural environment here in the Wellington region and beyond.
Our Aim
The aim of the New Zealand program is twofold; first we provide much needed volunteer assistance to conservation groups and conservation projects within New Zealand. In return we offer our volunteers a unique and diverse experience that will expose them to many aspects of NZ conservation; this in turn will hopefully give our volunteers a greater understanding of conservation as a whole.
Program Location
New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, is perched on the shores of a deep natural harbour surrounded by wooded hills. The Wellington region encompasses diverse landforms, indigenous plants and wildlife, and an extensive and varied coastline. Wellington is a centre for threatened species management and has a number of captive breeding facilities working with some of our most rare bird, reptile, and insect species.
NZNP Team Leader: Toby Malcolm
NZNP Team Leader and Heal the Earth coordinator: Rachel Dickinson
Volunteers form an integral part of our habitat restoration and environmental/conservation projects. The volunteer team is headquartered near to Wellington and our program area is based largely in the Greater Wellington region. Two of our projects, however, provide the opportunities to work in other regions of New Zealand. The work that you will be involved with is typically a combination of direct habitat restoration (eg. predator control, tree planting, invasive weed removal), and monitoring revegetation growth rates etc.
Examples of projects we are currently involved with include:
- Replanting native forests (on the mainland and on Matiu-Somes Island (NZ winter only))
- Stream quality monitoring as part of a regional stream health project
- Educational field trips: eg. visits to Kapiti island (a key offshore sanctuary for New Zealand wildlife; weather permitting)
- Surveying New Zealand Fur Seal populations around the Wellington coastline.
- Removing pest plants from several native ecosystems (e.g. dunes, forests)
- Controlling introduced predators for the protection of native wildlife
- Trail construction and park maintenance within wildlife reserves
- Trash and weed removal
- Visits to Moehau, on the Coromandel Peninsula (quarterly), with activities including Kiwi bird protection, habitat protection and restoration, and scientific monitoring of wildlife and of predator control progress.
Please note that some projects are seasonal.
About New Zealand
Full country name: New Zealand
Area: 268,680 sq km
Population: 4 million
Capital city: Wellington (pop 367,600)
People: European (Paheka) 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8%
Languages: English and Maori
Religion: Predominantly Christian (81%)
Government: Independent member of the British Commonwealth
Major industries: Food processing, wood and paper products, wool, textiles, dairy products, iron and steel, machinery, tourism, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, mining
Major trading partners: Australia, Japan, UK, China and the USA
© Copyright 2008 Lonely Planet Publications. All rights reserved. Used with permission. www.lonelyplanet.com
New Zealand Facts
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The total population of New Zealand is roughly 4 million, and is predicted to reach 4.6 million within the next 44 years.1
The indigenous people of New Zealand, Maori, make up about 15% of the population.2
The total land area of New Zealand is around 270,197 square kilometres between two islands, with approximately 10 000 kilometres of coastline.3
New Zealand is home to a variety of endemic species, with over a third of its 3,400 species of vascular plants entirely indigenous.4
New Zealand also has the most diverse seabird community in the world, with around 80 species known to breed here. At least three-quarters of the world's penguin species breed in the New Zealand region, including the threatened endemic yellow-eyed penguin.5
When Europeans arrived on the islands in the early nineteenth century, they brought with them 34 exotic mammal species (including brush-tailed possums, rabbits, cats, goats, stoats and ferrets) and hundreds of invasive weedy plant species.6
It is estimated that the New Zealand possum population now tops 70 million and chomps its way through seven million tonnes of vegetation per year.7
Numbers of New Zealand’s national icon, the Kiwi bird, have been steadily declining with now only around 75,000 left.8
Introduced predators are the biggest threat. Stoats and cats kill 95 per cent of kiwi bird chicks before they are six months old. Adult kiwi birds are often killed by ferrets and dogs.9
Over the past one thousand years the kiwi bird population has declined by 99.5% and it is estimated that at their current rate of decline, the kiwi bird could be extinct on the mainland within 12 years.10
1 Population Statistics
2 Maori Culture
3 Biodiversity Hotspots – New Zealand
4 Biodiversity Hotspots – New Zealand
5 Biodiversity Hotspots – Unique Biodiversity
6 Biodiversity Hotspots – Human Impact
7 Possums
8 Kiwi
9 Kiwi
10 Kiwis Facing Extinction
Apply Now
Program Requirements
As a volunteer on the New Zealand Nature Project you must:
- be 18 years old or over
- be eligible for entry into New Zealand as a tourist for the duration of your stay. Please note: people from many countries (including North America, UK, Europe) do not need an entry visa if you are staying for 3 months or less. For a list of all countries, see here
- have no major health problems
- be moderately fit (e.g. can hike for several hours over uneven/steep ground)
- be proficient in English
- possess initiative and an enthusiasm for the environment
- be willing to work, rain or shine
The Application Process
Your application process is free and seamless, and if you are successful we will provide you with a choice of application fee payment options that include a secure online service. We also are one of the few organisations that allow you to transfer your application fee to another program at no extra cost.
Communication & Support:
Throughout the process, we are committed to working with you to answer any of your questions or concerns. During your placement we are also available as a form of support to you as a volunteer and will email you while in country to discuss how the program is going.
Program Schedule
Placements on this program start on the 1st or 15th of each month.
You can join the program for as little as 2 weeks or as long as 3 months.
The program does not run on Public Holidays and therefore volunteers are welcome to have free time to do sightseeing and other activities of their choice.
All accommodation and meals will be provided for on the program. Volunteers will live in co-operative housing, sharing cooking and cleaning duties. Depending on the program schedule, some nights might be spent in the field in cabins.
Some projects are seasonal or weather dependent. Schedules may also change due to the damands of our project partners. You can contact the volunteer coordinator for further information on projects you are likely to participate in during the time you intend to volunteer.
The following links are examples of some of the projects you may participate in and also the kind of monthly schedule your team may follow (note this is a guide and your exact program may differ from this example):
Example of monthly program schedule
Stream monitoring project
Otari Wilton's Bush re-vegetation project
Program Cost
A US$350 application fee (fully transferable) will secure your place on the program, with your program fee due for payment eight weeks before you begin your placement. You only pay your application fee once and then you can access any of GVN's volunteer programs over the next 5 years.
Your application fee includes the following benefits:
- Personal Staff Support
- Your Program Guide
- Your Fundraising Guide and Software
- Access to Your Own Online Journal
- Online Video - Preparing For Your Trip
- Opportunities for Discounts on Airfares
Once your application fee is paid the remainder of the cost for your time in the program is:
- Cost for 2 weeks - US $797
- Cost for 1 month - US $1397
- Cost for 6 weeks - US $1997
- Cost for 2 months - US $2597
- Cost for 10 weeks - US $3197
- Cost for 3 months - US $3797
The in-country fee covers placement arrangement, accommodation, food, project costs, supervision, an airport pickup, and all transportation to and from the field projects.
The other costs you will need to meet are return travel to Wellington in New Zealand, travel insurance, transport back to the airport on departure, departure taxes (if applicable), and a travel visa (if required).
Apply NowWe have compiled a list of frequently asked questions which we receive at the GVN inbox. This is a great place to start if you have questions about Global Volunteer Network and our placement process. This information should answer the majority of questions you may have.
Tell me more about New Zealand
What is the climate like in New Zealand?
What kind of volunteer work is available?
What is the schedule of a typical day?
Tell me more about the accommodation?
When do I need to arrive in New Zealand?
What immunizations/vaccines will I need?
Are we able to do any sightseeing while volunteering?
Are there more expenses once I arrive?
How much do things in New Zealand typically cost?
How many volunteers are there on site at the same time?
Can I bring my family, including children, to this program with me?
How does GVN choose volunteers for this program?
Who organizes my visa for my volunteer placement?
Question not covered here?
Please check the generic FAQ, and if still unanswered, please ask us a question here. (We aim to answer all email within 48 hours).
Don't just take our word for it, hear what previous volunteers have to say out the program.
Volunteer Diaries
We would like to thank these volunteers for taking the time to write about some of their experiences in New Zealand.Mandy Reina
Thida Myint
Volunteer Feedback
Matthew B.
After completing the NZNP I have a definite positive feeling about my time spent vounteering. There was not a moment when I did not feel taken care of or looked after and I will always look back on the program with incredibly fond memories.
I loved my time with GVN.
I think there was a good team spirit which made the work enjoyable and easy.
I was overwhelmed by the luxury of the accomodation and very pleased … Communal areas were so nice. The sitting room was comfortable, expecially the sofa along the wall (that's my spot) and the Playstation, DVD and TV all helped pass the time.
Wendy
"All of it was great - however the seal and robin monitoring were highlights, simply because I came to see critters that I couldn't back home and I liked being up close and personal, with the animals.
It personally gave me a bit of an overview of some of the conservation work being done here."
Debra
"The best is when we built something and we could see the outcome of our hard work then - like the sanctuary. I also knew that when I come back, 20 years from now, I can say "I helped plant those…." The work is very fulfilling.
I recommend GVN to anyone who asks me, and I will tell them how positive the program is. And not just for the environment, but on a personal level. I only wish I could have stayed and worked longer."
Volunteer Journals
Girly, or not Girly
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
Well . . . I am packing as little as possible . . . so . . . not too girly this trip.
Alex
Click here to read the full blog entry
conservation: more killing than one might think
Thursday, October 08th, 2009
Today we spent our time killing bone seed. It’s a tree like plant with yellow flowers whose seeds are eaten by native birds… but eating bone seed is much like a pigeon eating uncooked rice… once it’s ingested the bird becomes a ticking time bomb with the certain fate of ruptured insides as its digestive track basically explodes. A final meal brought to it by human civilization… On a brighter note it was hard work but great fun. We spent the day on a severe incline of sand doing our best to keep our footing and fight the needle like [...]
Click here to read the full blog entry
Feeling fine in NZ
Monday, October 05th, 2009
So we’ve just returned from counting fur seals at the cape (nearly 600!) and hiking a nice incline to look out at the Putangiiu Pennacls (where a short bit of the 3rd Lord of the Rings was filmed). They were stunning! We’re all back at the house now just waiting on Toby and watching some bad TV. All in good fun though! We new volunteers are anxious to have a night out in wellington tomorrow… promise there will be more interesting stories to come
-Momone
Click here to read the full blog entry
