Tena koutou katoa Welcome to our update on development of The Endangered Species Foundation of NZ. This issue focuses on an important aspect of how the Foundation will function – with the establishment of The Ambassadors Club. You, or someone you know, may be just who we need to help us protect New Zealand’s rarest of the rare and their unique habitats. Kia ora Liz

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TheRarestoftheRare
Newsletter Issue 2
AUGUST 2014
Tena koutou katoa
Welcome to our update on development of The
Endangered Species Foundation of NZ. This issue focuses
on an important aspect of how the Foundation will
function – with the establishment of The Ambassadors
Club. You, or someone you know, may be just who we
need to help us protect New Zealand’s rarest of the rare
and their unique habitats.
Kia ora
Liz
The Ambassadors Club
ESFNZ’s Ambassadors Club is a network of passionate
people across New Zealand assisting us with much-
needed public awareness and fundraising.
We need more people who are interested in saving
New Zealand’s endangered species, and protecting
their unique habitats, to become our Ambassadors. We
need people who have great communication skills and
networks which they can use to tell people about
ESFNZ’s work and encourage donations.
Neil Thorsen
“Our fundraising aim is $30 million over
five years, and we are absolutely
positive we will achieve this,” says Neil
Thorsen, Founding Trustee.
Neil Thorsen is the interim chair of the
development board which will create a
strategic plan to guide the growth and function
of the Ambassadors Club. Neil says “We are
looking for Ambassadors, and for the right
people for the Ambassadors Club Development
Board – high-profile people with avid interests in
conservation.”
Ambassadors help to
1. Increase ESFNZ’s profile throughout New Zealand
2. Raise funds in New Zealand and overseas, and
3. Grow the network of Ambassadors.
CONTENTS
What’s new?
The Ambassadors Club 1
Introducing... Colin
O’Donnell 3
Regular features
Brief updates 3
Sponsorships 4
Partnerships 4
Thanks 4
Contact us 4

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Sir Alan Mark, Fiona Hanlon and Jack Jenkins are our first Ambassadors.
Sir Alan Mark is one of New Zealand’s most renowned conservation ecologists. Sir Alan is
Emeritus Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Otago, and his work there
spans more than five decades. He is well known and regarded for his involvement in shoreline
ecology with the ‘Save Manapouri’ campaign and then as Chair of the Guardians of Lakes
Manapouri and Te Anau for the first 26 years, during which time lake management guidelines
were developed to integrate lake conservation with the hydro-electric development.
Sir Alan Mark
He has also been heavily involved with
researching sustainable management and
promoting conservation of the South Island
high country tussock grasslands and
associated mountain landscapes.
Sir Alan remains a strong and active supporter
of the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society
and is one of their three Ambassadors. He was
recently awarded an Honorary DSc by the
University of Otago. Sir Alan was one of ESFNZ’s
earliest supporters, initially a Trustee, and now
our first Ambassador.
Fiona Hanlon is a passionate advocate of our environment. Fiona and her family are regular
and keen users of NZ’s walking tracks, parks, mountains and marine reserves, and want to see
the flora and fauna of these natural assets celebrated and savoured for generations to come.
Fiona is an experienced creative communications professional who works with organisations to
develop communication and brand solutions across traditional and digital channels. Fiona
was recently Head of Creative Services for Acumen Republic in Auckland.
Jack Jenkins is a prominent Waikato businessman, who previously directed the Ports of
Auckland. Jack has a keen interest in conservation and has great contacts.
Neil Thorsen is a Founding Trustee and interim Chair of Ambassadors Club Development Board.
Neil and son, Dr Michael Thorsen, founded ESFNZ. Neil has been involved in the establishment
of many charitable trusts and foundations during a long career as a trustee consultant. It is the
establishment of ESFNZ, and being a Trustee, that has given Neil the most satisfaction, as he
sees it as being a foundation for the challenging times facing a growing number of
endangered species. Neil thanks his father for his inherited conservation ethic. As a child Neil’s
father taught him the names of all the birds and trees on their Te Awamutu farm.
We now need more people, groups and clubs, schools and tertiary institutes who are willing to
act as our Ambassadors on a voluntary basis.
We support Ambassador’s activities by providing marketing tools and information. All our
information will soon be available on our website, including currently funded projects, projects
requiring funding, and how to make a donation. We also refund expenses on request.

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Trustees and support staff provide assistance and advice, and our Support Officer maintains
contact and keeps track of who has been approached. We will also provide a forum for
Ambassadors to discuss ideas or issues with each other and grow their own networks via our
website.
“Benefits will differ for different people, but we envisage that the main benefit of becoming an
Ambassador will be the growth of their networks, opportunities to be involved in conservation,
and satisfaction at seeing results,” says Neil Thorsen.
Contact Neil Thorsen (Trustee and Interim Chair Ambassadors Club Development Board) or
Liz Sherwood (ESFNZ Support Officer) for more information.
‘Meet our Advisory Group’ continued...
Introducing Colin O’Donnell
Colin is Principal Science Advisor with the
Department of Conservation’s Terrestrial
Ecosystems and Species Unit based in
Christchurch.
He has worked throughout NZ and
overseas, primarily undertaking research on
threatened species and ecosystems. Areas
of research include the development of
stoat and rat control techniques, and
measuring response of threatened species
to management in South Island forests, and
more recently wetlands and alpine areas.
He also spends time developing inventory
and monitoring for some of our most cryptic
species.
Colin is currently working on projects
focused on developing predator control
methods and monitoring methods for
mohua/yellowhead, kaka, long-tailed bats,
bittern, fernbird, braided river birds, forest
and alpine weta, lizards and rock wren. He
is passionate about NZ bats and their
conservation, and leads the NZ Bat
Recovery Group and is the Oceania
representative of the IUCN Bat Specialist
Group.
Colin O’Donnell
Launch update
As an apolitical organisation, it is important to us that the public perceives us this way. Hence
we are delaying our launch until after the September General Election. We are working on a
potential launch event at Makara, near Wellington, as well as the publication of our list of NZ’s
ten most endangered species. Our brand new website will be up-and-running before the
launch.

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Sponsorship updates
Wellington couple support Zealandia
ESFNZ Trustees were delighted to announce to
managers of Zealandia (ex Karori Wildlife Sanctuary)
that they can expect to receive around $12,000
annually from the generous bequest made by a
Wellington couple.
Whitaker’s skink protection
A grant of $5,000 for Friends of Mana Island Inc, from
the Nikau Foundation, was used to search for any
remaining Whitaker’s skinks at their last known
mainland location. Captured skinks were needed to
boost a captive programme breeding Whitaker’s
skinks for later release onto Mana Island.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, no Whitaker’s
skinks were found at the site after a summer of
intensive pitfall trapping, and it is very unlikely that
there are any of these endangered skinks remaining
at this, their last mainland site.
Partnerships update
Strategic partnership with the Department of Conservation
Since the formation of ESFNZ, DOC has been very supportive of the development of a strategic
partnership. At a recent meeting in Wellington, DOC officials told us that they will be
documenting the development of our relationship in a case study. Our partnership will then
inform the way DOC works with other groups and organisations.
Thanks
ESFNZ Board of Trustees
Dame Cheryll Sotheran DNZM
(Chair)
Kerry Prendergast CNZM
(Acting Chair)
Richard Allen (Secretary)
Professor Charles Daugherty
ONZM, FRSNZ
Richard Dore
Dr Jane Marshall
Neil Thorsen
Contact
Liz Sherwood (Support Officer)
lsherwood@ihug.co.nz
Ph 03 467 9254 or 027 694 5064
27 Patmos Ave, Woodhaugh,
Dunedin 9010
Blog
The Rarest of the Rare
http://nzrarest.blogspot.co.nz/