Local environmental hero takes on Albany Activator role

Student journalist Alex Zhang spoke to environmental educator and activator Sarah Wakeford about her new role supporting Te Hōnonga a Iwi and other local restoration projects.

In the bustling heart of Albany, Sarah Wakeford has been working to weave nature back into the urban landscape. Ever since she joined the Upper Waitemata Ecological Network (UWEN) in 2021, Sarah has become a driving force behind local restoration efforts, proving that even small actions can create impactful change.

Now, thanks to funding from Auckland Council, Sarah has taken on a part-time paid role as UWEN’s Albany Activator. Her remit is to encourage residential communities to start managing plant and animal pests, inspire young people to become involved in climate change action, run events to help activating and raising the profile of environmental action in the area and to support the three local Albany restorations, including Te Hōnonga a Iwi Restoring Rosedale Park.

Sarah has a teaching background and she combines her new role with her work as a sustainability service lead at Kristin School.

Her journey began with tree planting—simple, hands-on work that quickly revealed the power of community. She loves during local work, and it is especially fulfilling for her to see that her students enjoy being out in nature just as much as she does.

What makes this project special to her is the way different groups work together. Her team might raise native seeds, then pass them to another group responsible for planting or weeding. Different teams can collaborate effectively, just like a well-oiled machine.

For Sarah, the phrase "Think global, act local" isn’t just a slogan—it’s a reality. Restoring pockets of Albany’s industrial spaces helps combat larger environmental crises. She insists that cities should be places where nature and humans can coexist, and that we can create healthy ecosystems even in urban areas.

One of her proudest moments was the Matariki planting in June, where Year 8 students helped planting these special trees. A great sense of accomplishment comes over her when she sees that the trees her team planted in 2002 has already grown into full height. This reminds Sarah of her former students who had helped her with her environmental initiatives. They must have also grown so much!

Sarah also loves the scientific aspects of her work. In her work, there are always countless data to be collected on birds, local species and weeds. Sarah believes that all this information will allow her and her team to understand more about their initiatives.

But her real joy is in sharing knowledge. Whether teaching volunteers to set up hot composting or spreading grass seed to suppress weeds, she believes in empowering others.

“Young people especially have so much to give—energy, fresh ideas,” she says. “They grow alongside the trees they plant.”

Te Hōnonga a Iwi project co-ordinator Nicky Shave describes Sarah as a sustainability and conservation hero.

“She supported Kristin School to become the first Kindy to Senior School in New Zealand to gain an Enviro Green Gold award and helped students to set up an inaugural Sustainability Governance group, where students report directly to school leaders and the Board at Kristin.

“She has spent many years supporting students to invest time, energy, skills into their communities, and we are very lucky to have her working alongside us.”

In a world often overwhelmed by bleak environmental news, Sarah finds hope in Albany’s progress. To her, environmental work is not about saving the whole world at once. It is about everyone doing what they can in their daily lives, whether restoring your backyard or helping to save a local park. When these small contributions to nature come together, that’s when we make a huge impact on saving the environment.

As she says herself, “The biggest thing to me is the change that has happened in these three years. I am very proud to have helped support such important change in Rosedale.”