Respected TMBC supporter and contributor Rob McGowan (QSM), known as Pa Ropata, has been awarded the prestigious The University of Waikato Medal for his significant and sustained contribution to protecting Aotearoa’s Indigenous ecosystems.
Rob has spent his career helping to regenerate our biodiversity and educating others about our native ecosystems and how to protect them. He has been a supporter of TMBC since its inception, and was a speaker at our 2022 Symposium.
In 1999 he co-founded Tāne’s Tree Trust and since 2006 has been involved with Ngā Whenua Rāhui, a Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation funding programme.
Rob is a long-time member and former chair of the Bay of Plenty Conservation Board, a founding chair of the Kaimai-Mamaku Catchments Forum, and a life member of the New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists.
In 2018 he was awarded the Department of Conservation’s Loder Cup and in 2020 he received a Queen’s Service Medal for his contributions to conservation and to Māori.