Mountains To Sea Conservation Trust (MTSCT) - Nga Maunga ki te Moana
The Northland-based Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust was established in 2002, as a charitable umbrella and support organisation for the Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) marine education and Whitebait Connection (WBC) freshwater education programmes. These are both leading models in education for sustainability in New Zealand and now both available nationally.
The Trust sees education as a vital part of society and central to all environmental restoration. Our work involves providing dynamic experiential education programmes that engage schools and communities in conservation and the pursuit of sustainability.
See Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust website. Check out our 2021 annual report
The late Dr Roger Grace

Our Trustees
Olivier (Olly) Ball
Olly is a senior tutor at NorthTec Whangarei, and teaches subjects ranging from ecology to conservation to the dreaded statistics. Olly's interest in ecology and conservation was sparked when, as a child growing up in London, I found out that I was never going to be able to see such wonderful creatures as moa, huia and dodo, as every last one had been exterminated by humans, directly or indirectly. After leaving school in England, he followed the zoological pathway, completing a BSc Hons at the University of Canterbury (NZ), majoring in ecology and invertebrate physiology. For his PhD at Waikato University, his studies focused on biological control of pastoral insect pests using endophytic fungi of grasses. After post-doctoral studies on endophytic fungi at the University of Tennessee, and several years as a research scientist with AgResearch at Ruakura and Grasslands, he was able to rekindle my passion for plants, animals and their conservation when he took up his current post at NorthTec. Since his arrival at NorthTec, he has participate in several research projects, including studies on freshwater invertebrate communities of northern Northland dune lakes. Olly is happy to support the amazing work of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust here in Northland.
Geoff Buttirini
Hilton Leith

Manuel Tehira-McManus Springford
Te Rarawa Ngāpuhi
Ngāi Tahu
As part of an ongoing journey into te ao Māori Manuel is able to utilise mātauranga and tikanga to help assist the trust to evolve the connection it has between tangata whenua and the environment. Manuel has been part of Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust for 5 Years.
His involvement came about through a campaign to help revitalise Te reo Māori and its use. Working with hapū and iwi especially around the wai is a big part of the ongoing mahi the trust is doing.
Manuel, along with others, is able to help tātai all these elements together to build and uphold the mana of Mountains to Sea Conservation trust and the mahi they are doing.
Matt Keene
Matt is born and bred in Whangārei. He has a bachelor of management studies from Waikato University and is a partner in a software development company. Matt is on several not for profit boards that focus on education, the arts and skills development for young people. He has many years of experience in the development and implementation
of strategic planning for not for profits. Matt has been on many EMR school trips with his 3 daughters and has seen first hand how important and effective it is to make the education of tamariki about the environment and ecology an adventure and fun.
Jean-Louis Ecochard
Jean-Louis grew up in France at the onset of the digital age and found in technology the vehicle to quickly convert his ideas into new ways of working that transformed our world. His incessant curiosity led him to pioneer many technologies that we now take for granted: online banking, caller ID,
internet access, global systems, B2B, digital trading, video conferencing, online advertising, and eHealth. Jean-Louis spent the last few decades pursuing his passion of creating digital innovations for good, accelerating the mission of the largest international nonprofits.
Jean-Louis now serves NetHope as Chief Innovation Officer leading The Center of the Digital Nonprofit, a social sector accelerator and the center of excellence for digital transformation in nonprofits. He resides virtually on the Internet @jecochard and physically in New Zealand where he lives sustainably with his wife and daughters, blending roles of husband, dad and visionary.
Katrina Goddard
Katrina is a marine ecologist with over ten years experience working on fisheries and aquaculture management, policy development, marine protection, marine spatial planning and conservation management. Katrina currently works as marine ecologist consultant in Northland.
Growing up in Northland, sailing and scuba diving, Katrina has always had an interest in the marine environment. She is passionate about marine science and ecology and working with hapū and iwi and other stakeholders around New Zealand to restore abundance and safe guard our marine environment for future generations.
Katrina’s role on the Trust is to advise on marine conservation and fisheries management issues and advocacy and support the strategic vision of the Trust.
Leadership - Poutokomanawa
Samara Nicholas - MNZM

Kim Jones

Advisors
Vince Kerr

Check out our latest strategy and Theory of Change documents
Trust Documents: