INTRODUCING OUR NEW FRESHWATER ECOLOGIST

We are extremely excited to welcome Nicola Pyper to Enspire. 

Nicola brings with her a variety of freshwater ecology experience having worked for a Crown Research Institute and as an Environmental Consultant.  She has undertaken work on a range of small and large projects throughout New Zealand for clients in the mining, dairy, forestry and power generation sectors, as well as local, regional and central government agencies.  With Nicola’s expertise Enspire is now able to offer freshwater ecology advice, together with policy, planning and strategy and associated services to our clients.

Nicola completed her Bachelor of Science at Victoria University in Wellington in 2012, majoring in Environmental Studies, with a specific focus on Ecology and Biodiversity.  Since then Nicola has worked throughout New Zealand in private environmental consulting as well as for the Crown Research Institute, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).  Over this time, she has gained experience in macroinvertebrate, fish and periphyton ecology and undertaken work / provided advice to a variety of private, corporate, local and central government clients.  Nicola has undertaken work associated with the design and implementation of fish community surveys for the purpose of assessing resource consent compliance, assessing environmental impacts, producing baseline data for future comparison and determining population estimates.   She has also carried out environmental monitoring and habitat assessments, including State of the Environment and biodiversity monitoring for regional councils.  She has extensive experience in freshwater macroinvertebrate sampling, as well as experience in periphyton and riparian and in-stream habitat assessments.  Further to this, Nicola has gained significant experience in capture, tagging and tracking of both native and exotic fish, using a variety of technologies.  She has been involved in a number of translocation exercises and is also trained in electric fishing.  Nicola is passionate about understanding and implementing new protocols, procedures and technologies, with the aim of robustly assessing and managing New Zealand’s freshwater environments.