WReNNZ Committee
Pauline Nijman - Chairperson
Practice Manager- Companion Animal Hospital
Massey University
Pauline Nijman hails from Hawkes Bay and embarked on her professional journey in the animal husbandry industry at the age of 19. She became part of the Massey University Wildbase team in 2009, where she nursed and rehabilitated native wildlife, extended support to residents and undergraduate students, and imparted knowledge on avian and reptile husbandry and nursing. Notably, Pauline played a pivotal role in the conceptualisation of a new wildlife hospital, a customised wildlife rehabilitation facility, and educational resources. She was actively involved in major events such as New Zealand’s largest oil spill, the prion wreck of 2011, and the Kakapo response in 2019.
Pauline is currently dedicated to managing the Companion Animal Hospital at Massey University and serving as Chair for the School of Veterinary Science Biosecurity Committee, Wildbase Recovery Community Trust, and WReNNZ. Pauline's association with WReNNZ dates back to 2010, when she delivered her first presentation on avian first aid. Since then, she has relished the opportunity to interact with WReNNZ members, engaging in discussions covering various aspects of rescue and rehabilitation. Pauline is deeply devoted to assisting others and remains committed to offering unwavering support to WReNNZ members, particularly in light of the impending challenges posed by HPAI in New Zealand.
Claire Travers - Treasurer
Independent Contractor for Kiwi Conservation
One of Claire's earliest memories is of jumping out of bed at 3 years old to climb into her 'gummies' and go help the neighbouring farmer feed the calves. Whether she helped or not could be a moot point. But she knew then she wanted to work with animals in some way or other. Claire went on to study agriculture in the UK, and then did overseas experience which resulted in moving to NZ, on to a beef and sheep farm on the outskirts of Rotorua. It was in the late nineties that she took the side step from agriculture in to conservation.
It was at Rainbow Springs Wildlife park that Claire gained a real understanding of the uniqueness of New Zealand's flora and fauna and started rehabilitating wild birds that were brought into the facility. She was there for at least 18 years and in that time moved from working with a large variety of native species to just concentrating on kiwi, in particular participating in the Operation Nest Egg conservation programme, but also rehabilitating wild kiwi that were brought to the facility with a variety of injuries and illnesses. Claire no longer actively participates in kiwi rehabilitation - unless of course a sick kiwi gets brought to her.
Celine Campana - Committee Member
Wildlife Veterinary Nurse
I have been a veterinary nurse for almost 25 years and have spent the last 15 years as a zoo VN. My special interest is in sea turtles, having worked abroad with them for many years and at Auckland zoo, I have been able to continue my work with them due to the wild stranded turtles we treat.
While living in the UK, I was a founding member of the Association of Zoo and Exotic Veterinary Nurses, which specialises in providing continuing education for veterinary nurses working with native British wildlife, in addition to those in the zoo/exotic pet veterinary sector.
I am extremely privileged to work with a large range of NZ native wildlife in our hospital and have a particular fondness for our kororā, matuku-hūrepo and toroa. I’m looking forward to learning more from my colleagues in WReNNZ about some of our other species too!
Dr Lynn Miller - Committee Member
General Manager and Rehabilitator
Lynn, along with academic studies, has over 35 years of experience rehabbing wildlife. Wildlife rehabilitation has been central to her life, with founding Le Nichoir, in Canada in 1994, becoming an International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) instructor over 15 years ago, joining the IWRC Board of Directors, and in 2011, becoming president of IWRC.
The work front also saw positions that included being the Director of Rehabilitation for the Cape Wildlife Center, Barnstable, MA. Director of Education, South Florida Wildlife Centre, Fort Lauderdale, FL, before returning to New Zealand as the General Manager of NZ Bird Rescue in Green Bay, Auckland in 2019.
Kylie Martin - Committee Member
Wildlife Rehabilitator, Wildlife Veterinary Nurse and Seabird Ranger
Kylie has been a veterinary nurse for over 20 years, beginning her career in general practice before moving into zoo and wildlife hospitals, while also teaching future veterinary nurses. Her passion for native birds was sparked early on by a veterinarian she worked alongside in her first nursing role, which eventually led her to a combined veterinary nurse/zoo keeper position at Hamilton Zoo.
At the time, there was only one wildlife rehabilitator in the entire Waikato region, which inspired Kylie to establish Raglan Native Rehabilitation. Starting from scratch was a huge learning curve, balancing the demands of rehabilitation with full-time work, but her veterinary background and the support of experienced rehabilitators have been invaluable. This is also what motivated her to join the committee.
In her spare time, Kylie enjoys volunteering on wildlife projects both in New Zealand and abroad, working with species such as kākāpō, hihi, Hochstetter’s frogs, sea turtles, tapirs, colobus monkeys, koalas, and sun bears. She is passionate about raising recognition for wildlife rehabilitators and the hard mahi and sacrifices that go into this work.
Rosalie Goldsworthy - Vice-Chair
Wildlife Rehabilitator specialising in YEP
Rosalie began rehabilitating wild birds in Days Bay, Wellington in September of 1994. Rosalie and her neighbour, Vivienne, decided to do this together and it did not take long to realise that there was a real need and they established the Eastern Bays Little Blue Penguin Foundation, as a charitable trust to help fund their work.
It was a steep learning curve and in their first year Rosalie and Vivienne helped over 270 birds, 64 of which were natives. Within 7 years they had worked with 94 different species. From the beginning they consulted with the best experts they could find – Taronga Zoo for seabirds, Silvia Durant for garden birds, Dawn Morton for natives, particularly Harriers, and many others.
Their centre closed in 2001 and Rosalie moved to Moeraki to continue the work for Penguin Rescue. She rehabs mostly penguins and manages the 2 largest Yellow-eyed penguin colonies left on mainland New Zealand, which make up 20% of the population.
As soon as Rosalie heard of the possibility of WReNNZ, she was on board straight away. There are many tricks of the trade which save lives and she is always learning and happy to share.
Bev Wilkinson - Secretary
Kiwi Husbandry Manager - Napier Kiwi Creche
Bev started working with Kiwis at the National Kiwi Hatchery about 15 years ago. She specialised in egg incubation and chick rearing from hatch to release weight.
This conservation project, “Operation Nest Egg”, really appealed to her, and she remained very committed to it and is now employed by Save the Kiwi
Bev has been managing a Kiwi facility in Hawkes Bay for the last 4 years. This involves rearing kiwi chicks from approximately 2-3 weeks old to a safe release weight of 1kg, which takes approximately 3-4 months.
Bev is passionate about her job and knows that with passion comes pain and heartbreak, but ultimately, it’s knowing you are doing the best you can for species of any kind and that you can get support.
Bev’s admiration for bird rehabbers in NZ drew her to join the WReNNZ committee. It has allowed her to support her peers and members, learn and share vital information, and be supported. WReNNZ is a safe place for members to share, ask questions, and be supported.
Brian Robertson - Committee Member
Project Manager and Professional Civil Engineer
Brian is a Chartered Professional Civil Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in civil construction and management, and he is currently a project manager on large motorway projects in Auckland. Brian is also Chairperson of the Wild Bird Care Charitable Trust which was founded and established by his wife Mandy in 2009.
Brian became increasingly involved and passionate about wildlife and rehabilitation through Mandy’s work in her rehab centre and joined WReNNZ before joining the committee a few years later. Brian hopes to use his management and project management skills to help grow WReNNZ as an organisation and help our members to continue their amazing work saving our native wildlife.
Tracie Poole - Committee Member
Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician
Tracie grew up in the Bay of Plenty, enjoying natural NZ and its wildlife. With a background in Captive Wild Animal Management, Tracie has worked directly with NZ Native birds and reptiles for over four years as a Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician for Wildbase Recovery. The purpose-built, publicly accessible facility promotes industry-leading rehab techniques, species conservation in Aotearoa and community education. Tracie’s other experience involves working with exotic birds, domestic, farm and dangerous large animals. She is a volunteer with the Massey University Veterinary Emergency Response Team as a certified rope and swift water rescue responder, where she aids in the rescue of stranded or injured animals and enjoys pushing herself out of her comfort zone.
Tracie aims to play a role in growing the rehabilitation industry in New Zealand and looks forward to making positive connections with others through collaboration, industry development and adding to her personal experiences in NZ wildlife conservation.
Dr. Richard Sim - Committee Member
DVM, MANZCVS (Medicine of Zoo Animals), Dipl. ACZM - Head Zoo Veterinarian
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, USA, Dr. Richard Sim is the Head Veterinarian at Hamilton Zoo.
He started feeding baby birds with a wildlife rehabber in Intermediate school, and wildlife has been a part of his life ever since then. Before becoming a veterinarian, he worked for a few years doing avian field conservation and ecology work in the western USA, Costa Rica, and Hawaii.
Since becoming a veterinarian, a portion of his early career training was a 2-year fellowship at a large wildlife hospital in the eastern USA. Otherwise, he has worked in zoos for 15 years, is a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine. While at those zoos, he has been keen to assist local rehabbers with the care of any birds, but especially raptors with orthopaedic issues. Moving to New Zealand in 2022, he is working on growing the Hamilton Zoo’s role in caring for wildlife of the Waikato region. Kākā and kererū are new-found loves.
Wildlife and zoo medicine are all about problem-solving and ingenuity. Skills that translate well to wildlife rehabilitation. Richard is excited to be a part of this committee and help our community deliver top-notch wildlife care.