Ruapaka Wetland

Lead Environmental Engineer
FuturEcology Ltd. (2021 - 2024)

Lead engineer overseeing planning and documentation for a major wetland restoration with a six-figure budget. Coordinated and prepared an ecological restoration plan and delivery schedule to convert 14 ha of weed choked wetland. This entailed steering meetings between Iwi (Ngāti Kuia), Marlborough District Council, Waka Kotāhi (New Zealand Transport Agency), Marlborough Lines,  Fonterra, landowners and farmers and the community. It also included hosting a community meeting.

Motueka Wetland & Challies Island Wetland Restoration

Lead Environmental Engineer
FuturEcology Ltd. (2021–2024)

Lead the ecological rehabilitation plan for two regionally significant wetland projects. Motueka wetland served as a proof of concept to reinstate a gravel extraction pit to a wetland whilst Challies Island wetland scalled the concept significantly. The plan ensured best practice ecological outcomes areas where achieved through a diversity of habitat types including maximised shallow water, infrequently submerged zones, gravel beaches and shading from tall species planted on the northern side. These principles where achieved for both sites. Managed the planting team to undertake the plan at both sites. Read more.

Auckland Freshwater Management Tool

Graduate Project Engineer
Morphum Environmental Ltd. (2017–2020)

Contributed to New Zealand's largest digital water-quality planning tool, developed for Auckland Council's Healthy Waters department in partnership with Paradigm Environmental. The tool maps water flow and quality across the entire 5,000km² Auckland region, modelling outcomes for 100+ rural and urban land uses to identify the most cost-effective constructed wetland and stormwater intervention sites. It underpins $452 million in council-funded water quality improvements over 10 years and is expected to inform decision-making for 50–100 years. Alvin supported the refinement of the model using real-world knowledge of contructed wetlands. Read more.

Delaware Bay Ecological Services

Project Lead and Implementation
Embedded Ecology (2025 - Present)

Embedded Ecology was engaged by a private land owner to provide ecological restoration services on a property in Delaware Bay. The site is situated on the edge of the estuary and adjacent to Bishop's Peninsula and Paremata Flats with Black Beech and Pukatea growing in the immediate vicinity. It has been a stunning location to work from with large Kēruru flocks of up to 50 birds descending on the property to feast on the blossoming Tree Lucerne through winter.

The land owner has vast experience with ecological restoration so most of the services have been to support their vision, and provide some labour for this project. This has included planting .trees, surveying the extent of Old man's beard and Banana passionfruit and cut and pasting large vines, forming tracks to access parts of the property and reinstating blocked drains to manage overland flow paths and reduce the likelihood of slips. 

QField maps (phone based GIS application) have been used for the project to help with decision making along the way and to capture field data such as the extent of weed ingress, high value species such as Tītoki on the property, access tracks and have access to landcover information and contours. QField is an open source GIS phone application that is a great option for projects with small budgets to enable effective in the field data capture. Get in touch if you want to find out how we can provide geospatial services for your project.

Tora Wetland Restoration

Project Consultant
Embedded Ecology (2025 - Present) 

Embedded Ecology has supported a land owner on a rugged South Wairarapa coastal farm in Tora, to restore a regionally significant wetland. In December 2021, Alvin visited the property and advised the landowners of the immense ecological significance of the wetland despite being grazed at the time. Although the wetland was not heavily stocked, this impact was evident with hydrophilic species struggling to establish and heavy pugging prevalent through the damper margins. 

Alvin undertook an ecological assessment and discussed potential options to enhance the wetland. The key issue being how to best exclude stock whilst managing the ingress of weeds. One of the family members had a particular interest in the project and took on the key recommendation of fencing off the wetland from grazing and worked closely with QE2 to place the site in covinent. In September 2025 the wetland was fenced off and native species planted to support existing vegetation.

Hillwood Stream Ecological Restoration

Project Lead and Implementation
Embedded Ecology (2025 - Present)

Embedded Ecology was engaged by the local community to help with a stream restoration project in North Nelson. Hillwood Stream has a catchment area of approximately 220 ha and includes significant ecological value with large Pūkatea, Kāhikatea, Tāwa, Mātai, Tītoki, Rīmu and Nīkau palm upstream. Within the stream, Kōura, Tuna and Kōaro are all present and are frequently spotted. This project involved coming up with a methodology to manage a well established weed burden comprising of Old man's beard, Convolvulus, Blackberry and Gorse. Focus was given to Old man's beard and Convolvulus as key species to minimise. On the Sunday the 29th of July 2025, a community planting was arranged for the community to undertake the planting in the cleared areas. 

This project received funding from Nelson City Council to prepare the site for planting, plants, canes and plant guards. We can help you find funding to get your project off the ground - get in touch to discuss.