Committee Members

President

Anna Maria Fomison

Anna M Fomison

Anna was born in Otautahi (Christchurch) and moved north to Auckland in the 1980s with her young family.  After living for some years in Titirangi and Henderson Valley, she now lives in urban West Auckland, on the sunny side of the Waikumete Hill.

Anna is passionate about the environment and especially the Waitakere Ranges, the West Coast, the Manukau harbour, urban trees, restoration and conservation. Used to the flat, open spaces of Canterbury, the landscape and bush of the North Island, particularly the Waitakere Ranges made a huge impact on her.

“When I last flew back into Auckland and the aeroplane did the big sweep over the Waitakere Ranges and I saw them from that bird’s eye perspective, I was once again impressed with what a treasure they are but how vulnerable! Itis our responsibility to future generations to do whatever we can to protect this wonderful and regenerating remnant of the great forests. It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to contribute to helping protect such a precious landscape.”

The first environmental campaign Anna was involved with, at the beginning of the 70s, was the Save Manapouri Campaign which involved a staggering 10% of the population and was the first time she witnessed the importance and the power of lobbying to protect a precious landscape.

Anna has an MA (Hons) in English from the University of Canterbury and trained as a secondary school teacher in Christchurch.  Her background is in arts, literature, culture and heritage. She is currently freelancing as an oral historian, something she segwayed into after taking up the role of Oral Historian work for the Society. Anna joined the Executive Committee in 2003 and became Deputy President in 2005 and over the past 18 years has organised public relations events and displays,  worked as newsletter editor, website editor, oral historian and worked on the e-book “Making a Stand”.

During those years not only did she work alongside previous President John Edgar but she acknowledges she was fortunate to gain an in-depth understanding of what the Society is about and how it works. Her commitment is to work cooperatively with the Deputy President Sandra and the Committee to create a sustainable Society and to carry on the Society’s work to the high standard that John always achieved.

As our previous President John Edgar said

The Ranges are certainly better protected now than they were, and while some of the scars of “the thousand cuts” are slowly repairing, there will always be more work to do to ensure that this 30,000 hectare west coast forest that was devastated by logging 100 years ago, will in time recover its former wonder and beauty.

It will continue to be a wild and natural area where people live and recreate, but only, in the words of Professor E. M. Blaiklock, “if so we guard its grandeur”.

Treasurer/Deputy President

Sandra Jones

 Sandra Jones

Sandra and her husband Bryn arrived in New Zealand from Melbourne in 1973.  Sandra had previously had no particular interest in natural history, but after setting up home in Titirangi, she developed a passionate interest in the surrounding bush and started learning about native plants.

Over the years she has served on the committee of West Auckland Forest and Bird, was long-term Secretary & Vice-President of the Auckland Botanical Society, Trustee for a time on the NZ Native Forest Restoration Trust, Treasurer of the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society since 2002, and since her retirement, Secretary of the Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) Supporters Trust.

Sandra and her husband bought a Titirangi bach that was surrounded by 0.2 ha of native bush. A very real fear of the busy bulldozers in the area at the time spurred them into purchasing a 0.4 ha block next door and an optimistic view of the future (pre climate change worries) encouraged them to place a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant on the bush to save it in perpetuity.

Over the years, Sandra has botanised most of the tracks in the Waitakere Ranges, many of them numerous times (pre kauri die-back). A list-maker by nature, she has kept detailed botanical records of the Waitakeres’ plants for thirty-five years. A few years ago, Sandra and two botanical friends, Waitakere residents Anne Grace and Harry Beacham, began the task of recording (using a hand-held GPS) the location of rare plants in the Waitakeres, particularly those in vulnerable positions on track-sides, for the Auckland Regional Council Parks Service and Department of Conservation records.

Sandra’s dream is that one day Bill Gates will toss her a coin (a $US2b one would be nice to be getting on with). It might not save the world or even solve Auckland’s transport problems, but think what it could do for the Waitakeres! In the meantime, and in the real world, she does what she can.

Committee Member

Mary Binney

Mary Binney

Mary was born and raised in Auckland and has had a lifelong love of the Waitakere Ranges and west coast and spent many years as a part-time (and sometimes full-time) resident of Piha. Mary has been formally and informally involved in several environmental organisations, including nine years as a trustee of the Hauturu (formerly Little Barrier Island) Supporters Trust. Mary’s parents were involved in the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society since its inception, and she joined in 2013.

 Mary holds masters degrees in music and public policy and has worked in a range of roles in both central and local government and is currently a Lead Advisor in Auckland Council’s Governance division. She has also had considerable involvement in the creative sector and was on the Committee of the Composers Association of New Zealand from 2011 to 2018, and served as the New Zealand delegate to the International Society of Contemporary Music in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Mary currently lives in the city but hopes to be able to get back to the west coast at some point in the future when commuting no longer poses a daily challenge.