It feels like it's been a long time 'between drinks' so to speak, we wanted to be a bit more certain we could go ahead with this month's meeting, and as we usually have under 50 attendees we are pleased that we can!
This month we are pleased and privileged to have Paul Atkins, Chief Executive of Zealandia, come and share some insights into Zealandia’s impact and leadership on conservation, sustainability and how people live with nature. He will share internationally-leading research from Zealandia showing that having nature in urban settings and spending time in nature brings physical, mental and social health benefits. Living with Nature (Living With Nature, Tiaki Taiao, Tiaki Tangata (visitzealandia.com), Zealandia’s 20 year strategy provides the framework how Zealandia works to transform how we live with nature.
Since 2015 Paul Atkins has been Chief Executive of Zealandia, a world-first fenced urban eco-sanctuary in Wellington. Established 25 years ago and named as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places in 2019 by TIME Magazine, Zealandia is achieving significant impact locally and internationally, transforming the way people connect with and value nature for example, Wellington is now one of the only cities in the world where the number of native bird species are increasing. In November, Paul leaves Zealandia to take up the role of Chief Executive at the Royal Society, a role recently vacated by Dame Cindy Kiro when she was appointed Governor General. Paul has volunteered at Zealandia for 10 years helping the conservation team with their supplementary feeding of kaka so he will retain strong links with Zealandia when he leaves in November.
We look forward to seeing you there!