Sir Rob Fenwick CNZM

In early 2009, Rob Fenwick came on board as BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust’s first independent chairman.

The role builds on a life devoted to helping protect New Zealand’s native biodiversity – Rob’s list of past and present environmental service is impressive.

He was on the board of WWF-New Zealand, is a former chairman of the Motutapu Island Restoration Trust, and remains an active patron of the New Zealand Native Plant Conservation Network.. Rob is on the advisory panel for the NEXT Foundation.

He is a member of the Air New Zealand Environmental Trust and the former chairman of Antarctica New Zealand. He helped establish the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development in 1998 and is its past-chairman.

In 2005, Rob became a Knight of the Order of St John and his work for the environment saw him nominated for North & South Magazine’s New Zealander of the Year. In 2007, the New Zealand Geographic Society recognised his work in Antarctica by naming the Fenwick Ice Piedmont in the Ross Sea. In 2008, Rob was made Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation. Rob was awarded The 2015 Blake Medal from the Sir Peter Blake Trust for his outstanding leadership and contributions to New Zealand – its people and wildlife, water and land.

As a businessman and company director, his business interests closely align with sustainable development and resource recovery. He co-founded of Living Earth Ltd, which converts organic waste streams from major cities into high quality compost. He is chairman of the National Waste Advisory Board and has delivered papers on waste minimisation and resource recovery in New Zealand and overseas.

Rob was also director of the Crown research institute, Landcare Research, for nine years, the last four as chairman. During his term the wildlife satellite tracking business, Sirtrack Ltd, was formed.

Rob also directs his environmental energy into his private life. On his 300-hectare coastal forest block on Waiheke Island, he has funded an extensive rat and mustelid management programme.

In 2016 he was knighted or services to business and conservation.

Rob speaks on his vision for a predator free New Zealand

Tim MacAvoy

Tim MacAvoy is a corporate partner at Kensington Swan with over 40 years experience in all areas of trust law.

Tim brings a wealth of knowledge to The Kiwi Trust, with his practice covering all aspects of trust law including the establishment of trusts for estate and wealth planning purposes, establishment of foreign trusts, trading trusts, and charitable trusts.

He is experienced in estate administration and all aspects of estate planning and holds a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) qualification from the UK Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Tim has served on various not-for-profit Boards and is a former chairman of the Auckland Theatre Company.

Tim is also experienced in general commercial law and acts for various onshore and offshore clients with regard to their New Zealand business establishment and operation, shareholder agreements, and related company issues.

Sunil Unka

Born in Auckland (1977), Sunil, is a Kiwi of Indian, Maori, English, Welsh, Irish, German and Bahamanian descent. He was raised in Auckland, Gisborne & Hamilton, attended Macleans College (Auckland), & earnt a Bachelors degree in business at Auckland University of Technology.

He is a rather passionate Kiwi, is mostly optimistic & energetic, & when he puts his mind to something he is quite full-on, dives in the deep end, boots & all, like a bull in a China shop.

Sunil played for the Black Sticks (luckily Sunil’s very long arms aren’t seen as form of cheating) and ran 11 half & a full marathon in 2010 to raise money for the Cancer Society.

To earn a crust, Sunil has been the Marketing & Events Manager at Hockey NZ, was part of a dedicated team that managed Air New Zealand’s highly successful grabaseat brand, & for the past couple of years has been the Marketing Manager for NZ’s only listed brewery, Moa. Now Sunil finds himself working as a Director for Gladeye creative agency.

Ruud Kleinpaste

Ruud Kleinpaste is a familiar face to television viewers in New Zealand and around the world.

Known affectionately as ‘The Bugman’, he is a vocal advocate for insects, and has been a regular guest on television and radio shows, as well as writing articles and books.

While possibly best known for his crusade for small critters, Ruud’s background is silviculture, animal ecology and conservation. Since immigrating to New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1978, he has worked in a number of jobs, including 18-months studying the ecology of the brown kiwi in Waitangi State Forest.

Today Ruud’s working life is a mosaic of national and international speaking engagements, media projects, research and consultancy work, mostly on topics of environmental importance. He also frequently travels to little bits of paradise all over the world.

Among that busy schedule, Ruud is a trustee of the Kiwi Trust, the Air New Zealand Environmental Trust, Project Crimson, the Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) Supporters Trust, and patron for both Keep New Zealand Beautiful and Trees for Survival.

John McLennan QSM

John has worked with kiwi for more than 25 years,

His studies began with a small remnant population of kiwi in Hawkes Bay in 1982, and in 2002 he completed his long-term Lake Waikaremoana study.  Part of this research confirmed that at least 90% of juvenile kiwi on the mainland fail to reach adulthood in the wild, and that stoats are the main cause of kiwi decline.

As well as studying kiwi, John works as a kiwi advocate and is often called on to share his expertise. This includes working with private community groups involved in kiwi restoration, and joining with the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society to push for kiwi zones which received significant Government funding in 2000.

John is widely published on the subject of kiwi conservation.  The media also call on his expertise, including the makers of two documentaries about kiwi, and the authors of features in National Geographic, New Zealand Geographic, Time Magazine and the Readers Digest.

In 2004, John was awarded the Queens Service Medal (Q.S.M.) in recognition of his services to kiwi and the community.

Peter Cullinane

Peter Cullinane is the founder and Chair of Lewis Road Creamery.
Previously he was a founder of Assignment Group and the Chief
Operating Officer of Saatchi and Saatchi Worldwide.

Peter is a board director of listed companies, APN, NZME and WPPAUNZ
and a trustee of SkyCity Auckland Community Trust.