Some grants change a landscape. This one changed a career. Over nine months, Mariah, an NMIT Kaitiaki Ranger trainee, went from a five week placement at Wild Waikawa to a trusted team member, and is now working professionally in conservation.

With support from Top of the South Community Foundation and generous donors, Mariah worked three to five days each month at Wild Waikawa from December 2025 to July 2026, alongside finishing her studies. Each month, she checked 23km of trapping trails across steep terrain, working with 11 trap types. She helped remove more than 1,000 introduced predators, a significant and lasting environmental impact.

Beyond predator control, Mariah took on maintenance, health and safety, and volunteer leadership. She led rangitahi through the Untouched World Programme in trap carrying and installation, assisted with trail building, and led new recruits through a Defence Force volunteer day, also mentoring a local rangitahi student in predator control skills.

Mariah crossed paths with more than 100 rangitahi and built a network of conservation professionals across Marlborough. She was offered three jobs and has since taken up a role with the Department of Conservation, protecting endangered birds on Rakiura.

As Trustee Michelle Clark put it, “This funding gave Mariah the opportunity to turn her training into real world conservation experience, building confidence, practical skills, leadership and networks to move into employment.”

Thanks to our donors, another young conservationist is living her dream, caring for te taiao.