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.
Dr Janelle Ward - Committee Member
Wildlife Veterinarian and Lecturer
Janelle is an avian and wildlife veterinarian that has been involved with many aspects of wildlife health including research, oiled wildlife response, pathology, species translocations, wildlife rehabilitation, education and training. She is dedicated to helping to protect the unique and endangered wildlife species of New Zealand.
Janelle currently works part-time for the NZ Department of Conservation and part-time for Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari as Species Coordinator. Janelle also conducts training for vets, vet nurses and those interested in wildlife first aid and rehabilitation.
As WReNNZ Chair Janelle oversees all aspects of the organisation. Working with the committee Janelle is focused on WReNNZ growth and sustainability. Janelle chairs the AGM, sources speakers for WReNNZ conferences and seeks ongoing opportunities for networking and collaboration, to consistently expand and improve wildlife rehabilitation in New Zealand.
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.
Mikaylie Wilson - Committee Member
Clinical Coordinator, Veterinary Services
Mikaylie started her career in wildlife medicine by volunteering at Taronga Western Plains Zoo while studying for a veterinary nursing certificate and working full-time in a domestic vet clinic for two years in 1998.
Starting in 2000, Mikaylie has 24 years of wildlife veterinary nursing experience with a range of exotic, Australian, and New Zealand native animals across all taxa. She started work at Taronga Veterinary and Quarantine Centre/Zoo and moved on to Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Vancouver Aquarium, Perth Zoo, and finally, Auckland Zoo, where she has been the clinical coordinator for the last 13 years.
Mikaylie’s passion for pinnipeds saw her working at Vancouver Aquarium, rescuing and rehabilitating harbour seal pups and then going on to volunteer in Alaska at the Alaskan SeaLife Centre, comparing rehabilitating skills for harbour seals from the two aquariums. This passion has found Mikaylie working on many fieldwork projects, including satellite tagging adult male Australian sea lions in WA, adult female NZ sea lions, rescuing leopard seals, and capturing and restraint of NZ fur seals, NZ sea lion pups and harbour seal pups.
Mikaylie originally moved into wildlife medicine to work with exotic wildlife. However, throughout her career, she has seen her passion develop more into field conservation, enabling her to practically make a difference on the ground with Australian and New Zealand native mammals and birds (all birds but particularly kakapo).
Mikaylie sits on the ZWVNA (Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Nurses Australasia) and WReNNZ (Wildlife Rehabilitators Network of New Zealand) committees and is a wildlife expert for the NOWRT (National Oiled Wildlife Response Team) Auckland region tier 2 and national response tier 3.
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.
Annemieke Kregting - Committee Member
Former Wildlife Rehabilitator and Vet Nurse
I am Annemieke Kregting, a dedicated wildlife conservationist with a passion for protecting New Zealand's native birds. With over 17 years of experience running the Kuaotunu Bird Rescue Trust and working as a Veterinary nurse, I joined the WReNNZ committee in 2023 to help educate and support the Wildlife rehabilitation network teams in NZ. My current role as a Wild Bird Ranger for the Department of Conservation in the Coromandel peninsula allows me to work with threatened species such as the dotterel, Kaka, Kiwi, Bittern, and banded rail, as well as some seabirds. Apart from my day-to-day work, I am committed to Bittern and Kiwi conservation and collaborate closely with relevant conservation groups. Although I miss the hands-on work with native birds, I recognize the importance of sharing my knowledge and experience with the next generation to ensure the long-term survival of our feathered friends.