Date: 13 Feb 2025
Location: South Auckland, NZ, 1010
Company: Auckland Council

• Based from Waitawa Regional Park
• Park ranger who is passionate about farming
• Rostered role so must be available weekends and public holidays

He angitūtanga: The opportunity
The Southern Regional Parks sector team are looking for a Park Ranger to join their team. This position will be based at Waitawa and is required to work over set regular parks (Omana and Duder) and work throughout the Southern Sector parks network as required. You will be required to work a roster that will include working weekends and public holidays and undertake stand-by duties during your duty periods. There is a house available as part of this role at Waitawa Regional Park.

You will be responsible for management of council farmed livestock over three park sites while enabling safe and enjoyable outdoor recreation experiences while conserving and protecting natural and cultural heritage resources. You will as required assist on tasks likes recreation asset maintenance, including mountain bike and walking tracks, and working with volunteers, iwi and external stakeholders to achieve park goals.

Being a ranger in the south
As part of upskilling staff and keeping required qualifications current, Rangers will be given core ranger training courses elements like first aid, LUV, Tractor, chainsaws amongst others in work time at council cost over the first 12-24 months, then moving onto course refreshers as required, new hires will be buddied with a team ranger member to do onsite inductions and site mentoring. Rangers will have a reporting base/manger and will spend majority of their time at their identified home parks and will also work across the wider Southern Regional Parks on tasks and activities as required.

Rangers in general will contribute to and lead a wide range of tasks on parks, such as: interacting with park visitors, managing volunteers & contractors, nursery work, track maintenance, weed and animal pest control, farming duties, amenity garden & native plants maintenance, fencing, barrier and sign maintenance, wildlife monitoring of native birds and lizards, pest monitoring and seed collection. Rangers use a variety of power tools and machinery, gain qualifications, and build on their knowledge of conservation, recreation, education, assets,& farming in parks.

Roster
Rangers work on a roster system. Each month they will work one duty week that includes the weekend. This will include working public holidays where they fall in duty weeks. Specific arrangements are also made to cover the Christmas/New Year period. Summer rangers are employed to provide assistance over summer over the sites.

Waitawa Regional Park site information
Waitawa is a recreation park with 80 plus hectares of farmland with a balance in exotic and regenerating native forests. There are a range of recreation activities on offer including walking, mountain biking, fishing, horse riding, two-disc golf courses, swimming, kayaking and orienteering. The park also hosts large scheduled events for running, mountain biking and disc golf. It has a kayak campsite, a certified self-contained campervan site and a bookable bach. Other facilities for the public include picnic areas with tables and BBQs. Fishing is very popular at the park wharf. Each year, areas of former farmland are planted in native trees gradually transforming the park environment.

If you have prior experience, qualification or knowledge in the broad agriculture fields with a desire to work with sheep and beef, and you want to be involved in assisting conservation, ecology, recreation then we want to hear from you!

He kōrero mōu: About you
You will need to be able to communicate with your colleagues and the public and have the ability to work alone and in small teams. You have a strong background in day-to-day farming activities and an interest in farming management; some experience or awareness of conservation and/or asset management is also highly sought after.

A farm, parks and/or conservation land management qualification(s) or similar would be highly desirable along with other appropriate licences to support public safety and environmental protection.

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou: What we offer
Our regional parks are much loved and treasured by the people of Auckland and visitors alike, receiving many million visits a year. They represent the iconic landscapes of the Auckland region and are home to many rare and threatened ecosystems and native species. For many of us, they are places that inspire and define us; places where we seek tranquillity and respite in nature, or more active recreation in the bush or on the beach!

If this sounds like your next move, apply online today!
Applications close 28th February 2025

This position is deemed a safety-sensitive position and will require pre-employment drug testing. Auckland Council is committed to the protection and wellbeing of children. A component of this role involves interaction with children so, as a part of the assessment of candidates, we will require Police Vetting of candidates to ensure we are providing a safe environment for children.

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and we are committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application to assist you through the recruitment process.