:bronwen golder
MAKING
THE GLOBE
A LITTLE
When Bronwen Golder married her diplomat husband,
she knew she'd need to find an extraordinary job that
allowed her to work all over the world
Having worked across a range
of sectors in several countries, Bronwen
Golder already knew she wanted to work
in community development. The trick was
finding a job that would allow her to do
both.
She found it at WWF New Zealand, an
extraordinary job that launched a career in
conservation and development spanning
political,
geographical,
and
cultural
boundaries for the past 20 years. And
counting.
20 | www.h e rmagaz i n e . c o. n z
These days, Bronwen's focus is closer to
home: as Director of the Pew Environment
Group's Global Ocean Legacy Kermadec
initiative she is working to secure the creation
of a New Zealand marine reserve bigger than
the size of France.
It is, she says, a vital goal, and a once-in-alifetime opportunity for her.
As Director of Pew Bronwen's mission is
to convince to the New Zealand government
to designate the 620,000 sq km Kermadec
region (just north of the North Island) as
a marine reserve. The area is home to 35
species of whale and dolphin, three species of
turtle and 39 seabirds, 88 crustacean species
and many others. And, says Bronwen, it's
well worth saving for our children and their
children.
When asked why she got into
conservation,
Bronwen
laughs,
"It's
complicated." At the time, she was frustrated
by the way non-government organisations
(NGOs) engaged with government and
could see more value in developing stronger
