Restoring Nature and Community
Voices of Volunteer Leadership
At the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau’s central suburbs, Oakley Creek (Te Auaunga) winds its way through bush, wetlands, and neighbourhoods — a natural taonga that has been lovingly restored and protected by the community group Ngā Ringa O Te Auaunga, Friends of Oakley Creek. Over the past 20 years, this grassroots group has transformed the creek into a thriving habitat for native flora and fauna.
For the past four years, Outreach Coordinator Sandra Maclean has played a key role in driving that transformation. Her work connects people from across Auckland to meaningful volunteering opportunities: helping with planting, weeding, trapping pests, and cleaning up rubbish along the waterway. “My job is about making things happen on the ground,” Sandra explains. “We plant around 4,000 to 5,000 native plants annually, about a third of which we grow in our own nursery. We also manage a trapline of 88 traps for possums and rats. But there’s a lot that happens behind the scenes too like fundraising, reporting, managing contractors, and all the organisational details that make the work possible.”
Sandra’s journey into volunteer leadership began 20 years ago with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, where she led groups of international visitors eager to contribute to Aotearoa’s environment. “We still work with CVNZ at Te Auaunga,” she says. “That connection has come full circle.”
Originally from Scotland, Sandra’s conservation background included remote, solitary work, an experience that helped her realise where her true passion lay. “In Scotland I mostly worked alone in beautiful places on special species, but it was quite lonely,” she reflects. “Here, I love the human connection of working with groups. It’s rewarding to see people coming together to care for their local environment.”
That sense of connection, both with nature and with people, is central to Sandra’s motivation. “I believe it’s important to work near where you live,” she says. “It helps minimise carbon footprints and creates strong links with the community.” The Friends of Oakley Creek embody values she holds dear: transparency, grassroots action, and using resources wisely.
Through her role, Sandra works with a wide range of volunteers, from local residents to corporate teams, community organisations, schools, and even clients from social services. “We’ve had Mt Roskill Police, Odyssey House residents, the Mason Clinic, Conservation Volunteers New Zealand’s new migrant group, and many corporate volunteers through Volunteering Auckland,” she says. “We work with people from all walks of life.”
The results of this collective mahi are visible every day. Areas once overrun with weeds or mown grass now flourish with native trees and birds. “We now have breeding kererū on Te Auaunga, and numbers keep rising thanks to volunteer efforts with planting and trapping,” Sandra says proudly. “It’s also great to see volunteers moving into paid roles, especially in conservation. We’ve had quite a few of those recently.”
Beyond the tangible environmental results, Sandra sees volunteering as a powerful way to foster wellbeing and purpose. “All the wellbeing advice says to get outside, do something physical, meet other people, and do something for others. My job delivers on all those fronts,” she smiles. “It’s all pretty ‘feel good’.”
The scale of impact is impressive over the last 20 years. In the past year alone volunteers have planted nearly 110,000 native plants and contributed 7,770 volunteer hours. “We simply couldn’t do what we do without them,” Sandra says. “Our volunteers are the lifeblood of this project.”
Sandra has learned much from her volunteers, from te reo Māori to local knowledge and conservation tips. “There’s a lot of cross-pollination,” she says. “Many of our volunteers also work with other groups, which strengthens the wider environmental movement.”
Outside of work, Sandra continues to give her time. She controls invasive weeds like moth plant and woolly nightshade in her local area and helps restore the section of creek near her home. “It gives me the freedom to do things I really value,”she says.
Looking to the future, Sandra hopes more people will understand the immense contribution volunteers make, often quietly and without recognition. “Volunteering is probably undervalued,” she says. “So much of it goes on behind the scenes. If more people realised that, they’d be inspired to get involved themselves.”
For Sandra, leading volunteers is more than a job, it’s a calling that connects purpose, people, and the planet. “I want my life to make sense,” she reflects. “This role aligns with my values and lets me make a difference, for our community, and for the environment we all share.”
