Help wanted at mountain
If you want to be part of a world-class ecological project, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has a number of volunteer positions that offer rewarding opportunities.
The team relies on volunteers to maintain the high standard of operations at the sanctuary, and is currently on the lookout for new volunteers to urgently fill some roles.
Some of the work is challenging, but also rewarding.
As well as the tasks listed below, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari staff are keen to hear from anyone who believes they have skills that would be a valuable addition to the volunteer team.
The Hungry Worm Bin is a living ecosystem that allows practical disposal of our food waste while also producing organic liquid fertiliser and vermicast for use around the grounds, in the gardens or in the nursery.
These simple effective changes will ensure the Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari team walk the talk and are consciously reducing their ‘carbon footprint’.
If you don’t consider worms are repulsive, and you enjoy working with your family or friends, this is an interesting task which currently needed attending to every few days.
Volunteers choose the time and days and will check that food scraps are healthy, other ingredients are added when required, the mixture is wholesome and nutritious and the bins are clean.
You will be responsible for keeping the worms alive and for managing their fertiliser and vermicast by (emptying the trays into suitable bottles/containers). Ideally two family teams or two different couples sharing a fortnightly roster would be preferred as it may become too time-consuming for a single team.
Managing the Hungry Worm bin:
If you’d like to help make fresh sugar water for the hihi feeders and be part of the team who share a monthly roster, then this is for you.
Other duties include keeping the aviary area clean and tidy, scrubbing down the feeders in the southern enclosure and sometimes nursing transient bird patients.
Aviary Duty:
This team works closely with reception, welcoming visitors into the Visitor Centre and encouraging them to take a self-guided walk in to the southern enclosure, up over the mountain; or down to the Tautari Wetland.
Alternatively, they might choose a paid guided tour to any of these areas — depending on the time they have available. If you enjoy interacting with the general public and are proud to boast our many project successes, then this is something that you will enjoy.
Visitor Hosts:
If you are confident, bush savvy and willing to work in pairs, you will work all over the mountain trimming back overgrowth along marked monitoring tracks or cutting old unused or new tracks.
This might be up and down steep gullies and along high ridges so you will need to be very fit. The task offers a physical work-out and a great sense of achievement knowing that you have contributed enormously to the allimportant pest monitoring programme on Maungatautari.
The time commitment is a minimum of eight hours per day working with field staff or other keen volunteers.
Track Cutters:
■ If you are over the age of 16 and would like to talk about any of these tasks contact Ally, volunteer@maungatrust.org or 027 412 3008.