Volunteer Voices: "Looking after the wonderful people who do the mahi." - Megan Davies
June 2026
Volunteer Coordinator, Megan Davies speaks enthusiastically about the army of 130 volunteers at Predator Free Wanaka. “Our broad goal is to reduce predators and increase native wildlife such as tūī and kārearea, but it also has to be about looking after the wonderful people who do the mahi” says Megan.
She says there are many reasons to enjoy her role - the outdoors, the physical work and the tangible results but for her the most joy comes from the people she is meeting and learning from along the way. “We are a like minded bunch but we come from all sorts of backgrounds. When I’m doing the job I find out such fascinating things about our team members.”
Predator Free Wānaka began in 2018 as Wānaka Backyard Trapping. A recent name change has aligned it with the national predator free efforts and better reflects that it has expanded outside backyards. Megan says “We now have 30 trap lines in the area which range from 1- 20 km in length. More than 1,000 traps are on public land.”
Predator Free Wānaka has traps on Mt Iron and Little Mt Iron, at Peninsula Bay and from the Wanaka Tree out to Glenhu Bay. The mahi extends to Hawea, Luggate and Albert Town and recent funding from The Rotary Club of Wānaka has enabled a trapline to be set up on the Newcastle track out to Luggate.
Megan started this volunteer journey with a single trap for her backyard which she got from the then named Wānaka Backyard Trapping. She caught the trapping bug and in 2022, with support from the Hidden Hills Residence Association, she began placing traps around her area. She began to volunteer with Predator Free Wānaka and enjoyed the role of being a trapper, then a Trapline Coordinator and in 2025 took up the role of Volunteer Coordinator.
Megan says “We are a purely volunteer led organisation and every volunteer is crucial to our success. Whether you are the Chairperson or a trapper your volunteer efforts are vital and highly valued and I enjoy making sure people are happy in their roles.”
Megan always saw volunteering as a part of life while growing up in Invercargill. “Mum was always volunteering, visiting the elderly and through church. I definitely think a volunteering mindset comes from what you were modelled by your family. And now my kids do it too which is quite cool.”
With a qualification in Parks and Recreation from Lincoln University and three years of guiding on the Franz Josef Glacier under her belt it was a given that Megan would continue to be in the outdoors when she came to Wānaka in 2004. “I just love being outdoors. My happy place is in the hills… or maybe on the coast, but definitely outdoors.”
As Volunteer Coordinator for Predator Free Wanaka she is deeply invested in the protection and growth of local wildlife. While her main role is with the volunteers encouraging them, running workshops and ensuring they are happy in their own volunteering she still loves to get out on a trapline. “Our success is very visible. The trappers send photos of new or rejuvenated species thriving in our area and it’s so satisfying.”
It’s not Megan’s first volunteering rodeo. In Wānaka alone she has volunteered with the Mountain Film and Book Festival, the Mount Iron Community Resiliency Group, the Hidden Hills Residents Association and the Matukituki Charitable Trust.
Her life is busy with running a small Air BNB and managing the administration of her partner’s building business but it’s clear her volunteering is a source of joy and satisfaction. “That sense of giving back is priceless,” says Megan.
She says “If you’re interested in volunteering get in touch. We have roles in Governance and trapping. You’ll meet great people, learn lots of new things and have a lot of fun while you’re doing it.”
Written by Juliette Hicks, Volunteer South's volunteer storyteller.