Te Ara Hīkoi helps people care for the places they love
Tūī | Tui
Together, we're creating healthier landscapes, stronger communities, and a future where both people and nature can thrive.
Te Ara Hīkoi is a community conservation trust connecting people, places, and nature across Franklin and northern Waikato.
We support local communities to protect native wildlife, restore habitats, and tackle invasive pests through practical conservation projects and environmental stewardship.
Alongside this Te Ara Hīkoi also create pathways for local employment, training, and hands-on conservation experience, helping rangatahi build skills while caring for the places they call home.
Working alongside iwi, landowners, volunteers, schools, businesses, councils, and community organisations, we're building a connected network of people creating lasting environmental change.
Our story
The Meaning of Te Ara Hīkoi:
Te Ara Hīkoi refers to the traditional walkways and pathways that connected the east coast and west coast through the interior, including the ancestral routes that traversed the Kohukohunui ranges via the Ararimu (the Rimu traditional walking track).
These pathways were much more than physical tracks. They were the cultural connections that enabled communication, trade, relationships, and the sharing of knowledge between whānau, hapū, and iwi across the region. They formed part of a wider traditional cultural landscape that connected people to each other and to place.
The name Te Ara Hīkoi was chosen because it reflects the interconnected nature of the groups associated with the organisation. Just as the traditional walkways linked communities across the landscape, the organisation seeks to bring people together through shared history, whakapapa, cultural values, and collective aspirations.
The traditional pathways are a powerful symbol of connection, movement, and relationship. They represent the enduring links between our people and the cultural features of the landscape that continue to unite us today.
Our purpose
To regenerate the environment and people across our rohe.
Our vision
Flourishing native biodiversity and bioabundance where the mauri life force of all is uplifted in hononga union.
Our mission
To uplift and support people across generations connecting them to the whenua.
Connect communities
To work together, share knowledge, and make tools accessible for all to enable the creation of predator-free pathways that connect and protect biodiversity across the Franklin region.
Regenerate nature
To make sustainable native biodiversity gains in the wider Franklin area by empowering and motivating community groups who share our kaupapa to coordinate local initiatives, and by providing training and employment opportunities in conservation for local residents, especially mana whenua.
Build capability
To support and empower communities to take action against invasive species, including animal pests like rats, possums, and mustelids, as well as harmful plants such as Crack Willows, Moth Plant and many others.
"Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini"
"Success is not the work of one, but the work of many"
Our people
Our people are at the heart of Te Ara Hīkoi. Together they bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, passion and local connections, united by a shared commitment to restoring nature and strengthening communities across our region.
Our trustees
Andrew Sinclair
Whakaupoko Landcare
Andrew is passionate about connecting people with nature and supporting a regional approach to restoring biodiversity across Franklin and north-west Waikato. Through Te Ara Hīkoi, he champions collaboration between communities, landowners and iwi, believing lasting environmental change comes from working together. He is inspired by hearing the positive outcomes conservation is delivering across the region.
A long-time member of Whakaupoko Landcare, Andrew acknowledges the volunteers, local iwi, and community partners who have spent more than two decades restoring local habitats. His favourite native species include the kererū, the pūriri and the wētā—each a reminder of the rich biodiversity that healthy ecosystems can support.
Edith Tuhimata
Ngāti Tamaoho
Edith is of Waiohua and Tainui descent, Her life's work has been deeply rooted in service to our people and the whenua. For over 30 years, she has worked as an archaeologist, walking alongside our kaumātua and kuia in pursuit of mātauranga Māori, ensuring that our stories, sites, and histories are honoured and protected.
Edith's journey has also spanned more than 25 years in the environmental space, advocating for the health and wellbeing of our taiao and future generations. Fluent in te reo Māori, she carries the language of her ancestors with pride and purpose, Being a Kaitiaki has always been her calling.
Glenn Richards
Friend of Te Wairoa
Glenn chairs the Te Ara Hīkoi Trust, helping guide the organisation's strategic direction, building partnerships, securing funding, and supporting day-to-day operations. He believes the wellbeing of our communities and the health of our environment are inseparable, and is passionate about creating a legacy that future generations will inherit. Living in the "Republic of Ness Valley," Glenn enjoys the company of the resident kākā—his favourite native bird—and is inspired by the joy that conservation brings to both people and nature.
Lynette Penrose
Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki
Lynette works alongside whānau, hapū, iwi and community partners to ensure Te Ara Hīkoi's work reflects the values of kaitiakitanga while protecting the mauri of our whenua and waterways. Of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Paoa descent, with whakapapa connections to Ngāti Kohua, she brings both professional expertise and deep cultural knowledge to the Trust. Lynette is inspired by the belief that caring for the environment is also about caring for people, relationships and future generations. Her favourite taonga species is the kōkako, whose song is a reminder of healthy forests and the importance of protecting them.
Phil Batty
Awhitu Landcare
Phil has called the Waiuku and Awhitu area home for most of his life and is passionate about helping people connect with the peninsula's unique natural and cultural heritage. As a Te Ara Hīkoi trustee and conservation advocate, he enjoys seeing native habitats restored and wildlife return to places where they once struggled to survive. His own property has been transformed from bare paddock into thriving native bush, creating habitat for birds and other wildlife. Whether on land or on the water, Phil's love for Awhitu's remarkable environment is never far away.
Our field team
Carrie Harman
Central Community Coordinator
Carrie supports Te Ara Hīkoi's network of community coordinators, helping existing groups thrive while encouraging new conservation initiatives to grow across the region. She also leads the organisation's communications and storytelling, sharing the impact of local environmental action. Carrie loves connecting people with nature and believes every project contributes to a healthier future for generations to come. Her favourite native birds are the pīwakawaka and the kākāpō, inspired by the joy they bring to her children and the reminder of why conservation matters.
Gerry Whitehead
Coastal Community Coordinator
Gerry works alongside landowners and community groups to grow predator control along the eastern coast, helping establish trap lines, supplying equipment, and supporting people to use Trap.NZ. He enjoys meeting people and helping them manage pests on their properties, knowing every new trap contributes to healthier ecosystems. Gerry has a particular soft spot for kākā—having once trained one himself!
Gerry supports Predator Free Whitford, OK Pest Free and Predator Free Maraetai Beachlands.
Jessie Smith
Kaimahi
Jessica works across the community as a kaitiaki, supporting conservation projects, trapping programmes and environmental restoration while caring for the mauri of te taiao. She finds great fulfilment in working alongside communities to create positive environmental outcomes and takes pride in serving as a local kaitiaki. Guided by Ngāti Kōhua and supported by the wider Clevedon and Franklin communities, Jessica is inspired by the curious pīwakawaka, who often keep us company on our hīkoi through the ngāhere. These small interactions let us know we are safe and our mahi is seen.
Hendrix Henry
Rangitahi
Hendrix works across the ngahere maintaining bait stations and DOC traps while removing pest plants, helping create healthier habitats for Aotearoa's native wildlife. He enjoys seeing the positive difference conservation makes, both for native species and for the communities working together to protect them.
Of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto and Tainui descent, with connections to Piki Te Aroha Marae, Hendrix's favourite native species are the tuatara—our remarkable living dinosaur—and the kākāpō, whose resilience continues to inspire him despite the challenges the species has faced.
Cooper Penrose
Rangitahi
Cooper is building his skills as a kaitiaki through hands-on conservation work, helping care for the whenua while learning alongside the Te Ara Hīkoi team. He values being part of an organisation that supports, nurtures and empowers its rangatahi, and enjoys that every day brings new experiences and opportunities to learn.
Of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Paoa descent, with whakapapa connections to Ngāti Kohua hapū and its marae, Cooper has a special connection to the taraire, a species that reflects the deep relationship between people, place and whakapapa.
Lennox Penrose
Rangitahi
Lennox is passionate about caring for the whenua, strengthening community connections, and helping ensure our environmental and cultural values are protected for future generations. He enjoys spending time outdoors and is always looking for opportunities to learn more about Te Taiao and the role we all play in caring for it.
Of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Ngāti Paoa descent, with whakapapa connections to Ngāti Kohua hapū and its marae, Lennox's favourite native species is the cushion bush (Scleranthus biflorus), a unique alpine plant he describes as nature's perfect resting place while exploring the bush.
Our partners
We're proud to work alongside organisations that share our commitment to thriving ecosystems, resilient communities, and a healthier future for our region.
Every action counts. From backyard trapping to large-scale restoration, small steps connect to create lasting change.
Whether you have time, land, skills, curiosity, or simply a desire to help — there’s a place for you on this journey.
Te Ara Hīkoi empowers communities across Franklin to protect and restore nature through predator control, habitat restoration, pest plant management, and conservation education.
