Ranger

Being a ranger isn't everybody's cup of tea. One minute you could be putting out a forest fire the next covered in penguin poo. But, for some fresh-faced and very enthusiastic trainee Rangers it's a dream and the dream starts here in Nelson.

Scott this isn't your average lecture theater what's this training range of course all about? it's a chance to get young ones out actually learning the skills of becoming a dockworker so they can get out and become DOC rangers and work for us. And what sorts of skills are they learning while they're on this course? ATVs, fire training, fencing, trapping, plant identification, it's just we just just pack it in.

And all of these students actually come from all throughout the country. They're coming from Kaitaia through the deep south from one from the Chatham's last year we just, theu basically come from all over the country. And what happens when they come out the other side of the course? Because these guys come out with all of their tickets, with their chainsaw ticket and their ATV ticket and their grow safe ticket they just get snapped up by the department. And what's the most rewarding thing for you? Watching them progress through the system, actually and going getting them becoming happy DOC workers, it's really cool I've got this whole network of training Rangers out there and I just love watching them progress and checking in on them. I'm a country girl born on a farm, I just want to be a part of preserving what New Zealand has to offer. I would like to end up on an island maybe Maud Island or somewhere in the south, maybe working with some of the birds, takahē, Kākāpō.

I'm here with Kelvin who's the course coordinator for the trainee Rangers he's going to show me how to tie a termination knot. Simply the terminations means termination where it stops at the fence, we turn the wire over like so, so you end up with a bent and it's nice and solid and won't go anywhere on you, because it's a very, wire that flicks a lot, you need to have that stability. So, effectively we just put that under there, pull that back up into there, slide that forward and then lift it up, right. Okay, so then you actually take it so, fold that round, put it into a crank, and then you wrap, okay, do about two to three wraps. come over, stop, come back, turn backwards and snap it off. Why do trainee Rangers need to learn about fencing? DOC has a huge estate that is protected by fencing keeping animals out and the last thing they need is a fence to fail.

I've had an amazing time out here with the trainee Rangers and if you're thinking of checking in your office job then maybe we've given you some food for thought. A Ranger's life isn't for everyone but for a dedicated bunch of people they really are living their dream job.