People

Central North Island Sika Foundation Elected Committee 2022/23 (all volunteers)

• President –  John Cook
• Business Manager –  Mike Clinch
• Secretary – Cam Speedy
• General Reps: Fiona Duley; Chris Crosse; Steve Gavet; John Davis
• Appointed NZDA Rep – Allan Jackson
• Appointed Iwi Rep – Tom Loughlin
• Appointed Conservation Board Rep – TBC

Project Leads:

Sika Foundation Project Manager: Tim Maule
Whio Recovery Project Coordinator: Josh van der Valk
Whio Recovery Project Operations: Mike Main
Hut & Tracks Field Manager: Brett Stokman
Membership & Management Hunts Support: Mike Penn
Jaw Aging & Data Collection: Dustin Murdock

	Our President John Cook has been dairy farming for 37 years and hails from Te Awamutu. He is a keen recreational hunter of deer and pigs. A councilor on NZ Game Animal Council, he is involved with CNISF to help ensure the sika herd is managed and preserved so that quality recreational hunting is alive and well for many years to come. Working alongside an awesome team and seeing the changes people with the same passion can make is second to none.
	Cam Speedy is a freelance Wildlife Biologist based in the Central North Island with more than 30 years’ experience working on a range of both native and introduced wildlife. Cam’s first love is Sika deer and he has been involved in sika research most of his working life including habitat studies, herd dynamics, population monitoring and radio tracking work, with a number of published scientific papers and 100’s of magazine articles. More about Cam…
	Mike Clinch grew up in Hurricanes country and started hunting red deer in the Tararua’s in the early 1980’s. He has been hunting Sika deer since 1986 and in 1998 joined Hunters & Habitats Inc and then became actively involved in the annual Sika Show. In 2018 Mike was asked to join the Sika Foundation committee and with 35 years banking and finance experience, he has taken on the Business Manager role. Mike has two sons who grew up in the outdoors, both hunting and fishing since they were 5 years old and who have now both shot many Sika deer. After years hunting Mike is keen to work for the Sika Foundation to ensure the hunting opportunities continue for future generations.
	Tim Maule grew up in the Waikato, with strong whanau ties back to the Central North Island. He has 10 years’ experience working in Conservation Operations with DOC, predominately in Taupo Fishery. Growing up and being introduced to hunting and fishing by his father along with his brothers, Tim has spent many hours in the CNI back country. He quickly became a keen hunter, with a huge passion for the hunting resource we have here in NZ, and he grew keen to understand the relationship between animal and environment. Nowadays, most of his hunting is done behind the bow or camera, usually with a purpose of either targeting a new species or targeting what the balance needs. With a young family living in the heart of Sika country, he is wrapped to apply what he has learnt to what the Foundation is aiming to achieve.
	Allan Jackson has worked in the Dairy and Deer industries all his life. While working for Agresearch as a Field Research Technician, he did Field Technology training at Lincoln University and found Ecology fascinating. It is an interest that continues today. Around 2000, he got involved with Jaw Aging. Allan sees it as a nice fit into his experience with Field Research, and passion for hunting. For nearly 22 years, he aged hundreds of jaws each year.
	Tom Loughlin (Ngati Tuwharetoa- Ngapuhi/Te Rarawa) has been involved with game management for many years, in particular the wild herd of Sika that live in the immediate area where he hosts an exclusive tourism programme Kai Waho Aotearoa. The kaupapa that Tom follows is a simple kaupapa of sustainability, both in his tourism operation and the Sika herd that he has become Kaitiaki to. He is now in his ninth year following a kaupapa he is very passionate about.
	Fiona (Fi) Duley has hunted Sika since her first visit to Poronui Station in 1985. She is now part owner/director of NZ Hunter magazine and in 2012 in conjunction with her son Willie and husband Greg started the TV show NZ Hunter Adventures. When not stuck in the office, Fiona spends a fair bit of her time hunting, trapping or carrying out voluntary kiwi work in the Kawekas Ranges.
	Waikato born and bred, Mike Penn has been keen on hunting/fishing and anything outdoors most of his life. He started pig hunting in the Coromandel at 11 years old with relatives, and he did his first deer stalking trip in 1994 when a friend introduced him to hunting deer in Pureora Forest. His first Sika trip was in 1996 and he has been hooked on and passionate about Sika ever since. He has enjoyed countless adventures with good mates in the hills chasing Sika and enjoying the habitat and other wildlife in the Kaimanawa’s and Kaweka’s. Mike is a huge advocate for conservation and his goal is to help the CNISF preserve and maintain balance for the Sika herd and native wildlife to thrive in the habitat they live in.
	Born in the heart of the Waikato, hunting was in Josh Van Der Valk's DNA. The first time he chased Sika was when he was 18. It had him hooked and he never looked back. In those days it was just about numbers but now there is so much more. Getting involved with management hunts and the Whio recovery project has shown the importance of managing what we have to Josh. He says he has been lucky enough to take over the running of the Whio recovery project where we get to get our hands dirty and make a difference. Our hard work now will insure our kids will see the huge benefits and have this amazing resource for many years to come.
	Raised in Tauranga-Taupō with a strong connection to the outdoors, hunting in the Kaimanawa’s & fishing on Lake Taupō are Candace Graham's favourite pastimes. Now living in Turangi with her young family, she feels fortunate to have a plethora of natural resources right on her back doorstep. She started working with the Sika Foundation as part of her DOC Community Ranger role in 2019, mostly alongside the Whio Protection Programme. She was employed part-time by the Foundation in a Project Support/Admin role in 2022. Since returning to DOC in 2023, she has continued her work for the Foundation in her own time, supporting with Heli-hike and Avian Aversion Training event coordination, media publications, and administrative support. As an advocate for the Foundation and its principles, Candace feels her continued involvement is for enjoyment rather than work.
	Steve Gavet was introduced to hunting and fishing at age 4 by his father and he hasn’t stopped since. A friend took him Sika hunting in 1985 and he says it has been, and still is, an amazing journey. Since joining the Sika Foundation and seeing the Kaupapa, promoting a healthy forest with healthy animals, Steve has high hopes that this will resonate well with other hunters. The Sika Foundation has found proven ways that work both for DoC and recreational hunters, so everyone wins. He is looking forward to helping us all benefit from sensible deer management.
	Scott Russell (Scotty) grew up in West Auckland and moved to Rotorua in 2004 when his kids were young. He soon joined the Rotorua Deer Stalkers and managed to knock a few deer over to keep the freezer looking healthy, mostly red deer. Scotty met Mike Penn through work and soon got invited on some Sika Foundation fly in Management Hunts. He now lives in Taupo and says: “I think the Sika foundation does an awesome job and I'd like to play my part to help out. I love being in the bush so what better way to help out than getting involved in the trapping programme.”
	Growing up in the heart of the King Country with his father, mother and two sisters, hunting and the outdoors became an obsession for Brett Stokman. Most days after school and holidays were spent in the bush. Forward a few years with a move to Taupō and then to the Waikato, Brett found himself coming to Taupō more frequently to hunt Sika. He runs his own business and lives with his partner Kaitlyn and their three children in Kihikihi. Brett joined the Sika Foundation’s management hunts and after meeting Mike Main, he started helping out with hut maintenance work. Brett is eager to help improve our back country huts to prolong their life and use for all Sika hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.
	Nik Maxwell is the creator of the Sika Foundation brand and helps us with graphic design. He has hunted sika for most of his hunting career (over 30 years hunting sika) and has all but covered the entire Kaimanawas and Kawekas in pursuit of them. Nik has has also created the Sika Hunting Tips & Info Series of articles, with the objective to educate and motivate both new and experienced sika hunters what sika hunting has to offer, and just how significant the sika herd is.
	Martine Pierhagen is a copywriter and PR consultant based in Tauranga and Taupo. She runs Sweet Orange Copywriting & PR and takes care of the Foundation's press relationships, website, and social media platforms. Her background is in journalism, marketing and corporate communications. She has a passion for people, nature and conservation.