About us

Peter Wilson

Peter is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors and brings over 50 years of commercial experience in senior management and directorships, including seven years as Managing Director of a publicly listed company. In 2009 Peter established his own consultancy company Pinehurst Associates Limited which provided commercial and governance advice to clients including Te Uri o Hau Settlement Trust and Te Runanga o Ngati Whatua.

Peter has been instrumental in the transformation of 616 hectares of predator-infested pine forest at Te Arai into managed land use that supports the re-establishment of native flora and fauna including, and recovery of the critically endangered NZ Fairy Tern.

Peter is also actively involved in the bioplastics sector as part of an innovative startup, bringing his extensive commercial experience to sustainable technology solutions that align with his environmental values.
As Trustee of the Shorebirds Trust, Peter combines his business acumen, governance expertise, and genuine passion for conservation to drive meaningful protection efforts for New Zealand's vulnerable shorebird populations.

Linda Guzik

Linda brings more than 45 years of governance and leadership experience across New Zealand’s nonprofit sector and the U.S. government at local, regional, and national levels. Holding a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, she has led teams and initiatives in workforce development, conservation services, and national leadership roles, consistently bridging strategy with meaningful impact.

Since the establishment of the Shorebirds Trust in 2014, Linda has served as Board Chair, strategically guiding its growth and direction. Under her leadership, the Trust now protects nearly 20,000 acres, advances predator control programs, and restores native biodiversity. She works closely with Trustees, conservation experts, iwi, universities and community partners to strenghen initiatives such as the Tara Iti Recovery efforts, Te Arai Ecological Sanctuary and Conservation Research Hub.

Passionate about conservation and deeply connected to Te Arai, Linda sees her work as both a responsibility and a privilege. She is committed to safeguarding this ecological significant landscape so that future generations can experience its unique beauty and biodiversity.

Peter Hall

Peter is a consultant planner with over 30 years of experience., and is a member of the New Zealand Planning Institute and New Zealand Resource Management Law Association.

Before setting up his own planning consultancy in 2019, Peter was a Partner at Boffa Miskell Limited, a nationwide New Zealand consultancy of planners, ecologists and designers. Peter served on the Board of Boffa Miskell during his time with that company.

Peter has been directly involved in planning and resource management for the Te Ārai area for some 15 years, assisting the commercial entities of both Te Uri o Hau and Ngāti Manuhiri, and their respective development partners, in developing and consenting sustainable land use change for their large land holdings. 

Peter is passionate about protecting New Zealand native birdlife and its habitats and is excited by the unique opportunity that the Shorebirds Trust has to make a very meaningful contribution to this goal. 

Leigh has practised ecology since finishing her PhD in 2003. While she has a background in avifauna (specialising in seabirds), her role as co-author of the Department of Conservation’s New Zealand threat classification list (2007) is testimony to her broad knowledge of New Zealand’s biota. Leigh has worked with a range of groups, including private industry and government departments, to contribute to a number of documents (e.g. threatened species recovery plans) guiding the management of New Zealand’s flora and fauna. Leigh has been involved in ecosystem restoration projects requiring the management of native habitat and species. Experienced in managing large complex projects, Leigh has co-ordinated field scientists and managed large data sets. She produces technical documents and/or publications synthesising the information in a clear and concise manner. She has led a number of large projects assessing methods for mitigating the impact of human activities on biota. She is also an experienced expert witness for Council, Environment Court and Board of Inquiry hearings. Leigh is a Certified Environmental Practitioner with the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (Ecology Specialist) and certified as an Independent Hearings Commissioner.

Lee Shapiro is an ecologist with 20 years’ experience working on a diverse range of applied and research based ecological and biosecurity focused projects including vertebrate pest management, avian surveys and ecological restoration projects. Since joining Boffa Miskell in 2016, Lee has been involved in a range of projects working alongside collaborators within community groups, Regional Councils, the Department of Conservation, Central government and Predator Free 2050 Ltd. He is currently leading several research programs looking at low residue and species-specific toxins as well as advanced monitoring tools for invasive mammalian pests. Prior to joining Boffa Miskell, Lee was the co-leader of an MBIE funded research program atLincoln University focused on the development of smarter tools for invasive mammalian pest species, critical for the protection and enhancement of native biodiversity.

Professor, Biological Science, University of Auckland

Professor Dianne Brunton is a behavioural ecologist and conservation biologist, in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. She studied Zoology at Auckland (BSc, MSc) before completing her PhD in Wildlife Biology at the University of Michigan, followed by postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley and Yale University. She returned to the University of Auckland in 1991, later moving to Massey University in 2005. In 2024, Dianne rejoined the academic faculty at University of Auckland. Over the last 35 years she has built and led an internationally recognised research programme uniquely combining the fields of animal communication, behavioural ecology, and conservation biology. Dianne has published more than 140 peer-reviewed articles, had extensive PhD and MSc supervision experience, and held significant academic leadership roles.  Professor Brunton has been Chair of the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund for more than a decade and contributes her expertise as a Scientific Advisor to TiME (This is My Earth, an international conservation NGO based in Israel) and The Shorebirds Trust in Mangawhai. She also serves on the Research Advisory Group guiding recovery efforts for the critically endangered Tat iti New Zealand Fairy tern.