Who We Areko wai mātou
It’s all about connecting the dots… across the landscape
Who we are
Our roots are in rural Rodney, and being local, we understand the realities of living on the land. At The Forest Bridge Trust our approach is underpinned by collaboratively working with landowners and all members of the community. We strive to connect the best information, people and services to our communities so that they can make the right decisions for their land or area to enable the protection, enhancement and connection of forest remnants, wetlands and other landscape which provide safe habitat for indigenous wildlife.
The Forest Bridge Trust has a voluntary Board of Trustees, bringing a wealth of expertise and local knowledge to our organisation.
Our CEO and managers support a highly skilled and diverse staff team working together to achieve our goals and vision.
Our front line team member roles for staff and volunteers, include ecology, predator control, community liaison, fencing and riparian planting and education, and are supported by our services team staff who provide administration, volunteer support, GIS and data analysis, information technology, human resources and coms coordination.
You can find out more about our current team members on our Meet Our Team page
A Short History of the Forest Bridge Trust
The seed of The Forest Bridge Trust was planted by founders Kevin and Gill Adshead – Their journey started when, in 2013 they reintroduced kiwi to their family farm in Glorit. They quickly realised that for these flightless birds to thrive, they would require a massive 10,000-hectare predator-controlled habitat. This was no small feat, but Kevin and Gill had a grander vision – they dreamed of the west coast kiwis having the freedom to roam safely and, eventually, reconnect with their cousins in Tāwharanui Regional Park.
Working with landowners, farmers, Iwi and the community they aimed to transform the landscape through strategic fencing, reforestation efforts, and the eradication of pests and predators.
In 2014, Kevin and Gill sought out like-minded individuals who shared their vision, and The Forest Bridge Trust (TFBT), was created. The Trust’s vision and mission were crafted collaboratively by farmers, landowners, and local groups dedicated to preserving and enhancing their natural environment. As time went on, it became clear that more specialised expertise and additional resources were essential to realise their ambitious goals. What began as a small, passionate group with a grand dream has since evolved into a well-resourced and effective organisation actively working to connect, protect, and enhance the landscape, spanning from coast to coast.
Mana Whenua
Our relationship with mana whenua is critical in the achievement of our vision. Since the conception of the Forest Bridge Trust we have seen them as key partners and worked with them in a range of diverse ways. We acknowledge and recognise:
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand and we recognise the rights of, and our responsibilities towards tangata whenua
- our actions should be shaped by Manaakitanga (the caring for those around us in the way we relate to each other) and Whanaungatanga (recognising the importance of kinship and lasting relationships)
- we strongly value Kaitiakitanga as a core principle (valuing the stewardship and guardianship and our relationship with the natural world) and see this as essential to our practice and our organisational vision