Geopark Manager/Mana Hautū – Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust

20 Nov 2023  By Advertiser | To list a job, contact us at jobs@tourismticker.com or call 0204 101 8762

Geopark Manager/Mana Hautū – Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust

• Oamaru, New Zealand
• On Site/Hybrid
• Reporting into the Chair of the Board of Trustees

About the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust/Mo te Waitaki Whitestone Geopark

The Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trust is a charitable trust set up to establish and oversee the UNESCO-accredited Global Geopark within the Waitaki District – New Zealand’s first and only UNESCO Global Geopark. 

Incredible forces formed our Geopark under an ancient sea. Volcanoes, mountains, rivers, glaciers, and then people shaped this region. Written in the stone and in our land is the story of the Waitaki – a geological wonderland, steeped in Kāi Tahu Whānui histories and culture waiting to be explored.  

The Geopark Trust has two manawhenua representatives and works with the support of Te Rūnanga o Moeraki to celebrate and promote Kāi Tahu Whānui histories and landscapes.

Our goals include:

• Enhancing Waitaki’s social identity and increasing community pride by providing a unifying platform to share the stories of our land, rich culture and heritage.
• Inspiring locals and visitors to learn, discover and connect with the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark through educational programmes and engaging experiences and activities
• Ensuring key geological, ecological, cultural, and heritage sites and assets with the Geopark are visible, well curated, accessible and protected.
• Delivering strong financial results allowing us to enable and support sustainable development and economic growth within our communities.

You will have the opportunity to live in this stunning region, overflowing with natural beauty from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, rich in culture and heritage and brimming with activities for all types of explorers.

The role/Te mahi

This is a re-imagined role reflecting the changing needs of the Trust as it moves forward into a new phase. The Trust is looking for a strategic leader to help drive its business development, enabling us to deliver on our goals, continue to deepen relationships with Te Rūnanga o Moeraki and contribute to the success of our communities and environment. The Geopark Manager will guide operational excellence and good governance, delivering financial performance and maximising growth ambitions across our 4 pillars environment (tiaki taiao), community (hapori tiaki tangata), visitor (tiaki manuhrir) and economy (ōhanga).

Your skills and experience/Kā Pūkeka Me Kā Wheako

The Geopark Manager will have the following capability and experience: 

• Driving excellence at a senior level in either the public and private sector – experience in the not-for-profit sector or dealing with an international governing body is an advantage but not essential 
• Experience and skills in engaging with and responding to manawhenua aspirations when developing strategies and annual business plans.
• Success at developing and implementing growth, including being able to create and deliver on a funding plan that spans both short and long term needs
• Financial, contract and project management experience- being able to provide financial performance against budget
• Skilled at conducting business through both strategic and operational lenses
• Ability to deal with multi-dimensional relationships across the community, manawhenua, central and local government and businesses while maintaining political neutrality
• Proven ability to partner with stakeholders to advise and influence behaviour and outcomes
• Creating a culture of delivery, growth and development
• Managing and maintaining extra-territorial governance requirements and sustaining a network of international partnerships.

While it is not a pre-requisite that you will have had experience with the Operational Guidelines for UNESCO Global Geoparks, you must be able to demonstrate that you recognise the importance of these and will be able to interpret and apply these in day-to-day operations. Experience with the application of similar guidelines is desirable.

This is an opportunity to have a real impact on the local community and help shape the future of geoparks and geotourism in New Zealand.

To apply please submit your CV with cover letter to Chair@whitestonegeopark.nz. In doing so, you should confirm your eligibility to work in New Zealand.