August 14, 2015
Young woman with Ngapuhi connections first threatened species ambassador
DOC has appointed a young woman with Ngapuhi whanau connections Nicola Toki as the country's first threatened species ambassador.
Nicola Toki has been working in wildlife conservation for more than a decade.
She says she looking forward to working with iwi right across the country on those things that are special to them
She says tangata whenua already have a good grasp of the importance of her mahi in their role as protectors of the environment.
Iwi already understand the importance of a Threatened Species Ambassador because it's embedded in the principles of katiakitanga .
She says as kaitiaki Maori understand that birds and reptiles and plants and bugs are not just things that are a part of us, they're an intrinsic part of our being.
Nicola Toki says the new role sends a signal to the rest of the world about how much Aotearoa values conservation.
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