DOC veteran David Agnew has spent decades living, working and surfing across the whenua, helping to restore wild places and protect endemic species. He says the intersection between surfing and conservation is clear.
DOC veteran David Agnew has traveled the country with his work for DOC … and surfed most places. His favourite surf spots? His lips are sealed. David knows he would face a local backlash if he divulged some of his favourite surf spots. All he will say is a few of them are on the north coast not far from his home in Whakahekerau/St Clair, Ōtepoti/Dunedin.
“There are more classified spots around the country,” he laughs. “But you’ll have to find them for yourself.”
Serving on the committee of the South Coast Boardriders Association, David supports the strategy to protect the local pakake/sea lion population. During the COVID pandemic, he got involved with the Whakahekerau Second Beach Biodiversity Trust and commenced work to enhance the area. For him, surfing and conservation blur into one another.
“We have a working bee once a month on a Sunday morning,” David says. “Last Sunday I got out and surfed until 10, had a quick change and then did some work at the beach. It’s tantalising sometimes when we’re doing the working bee and the surf is pumping.”
David lives just a couple of blocks back from St Clair Beach, so he gets in two or three sessions a week with his 5’8″ DHD or his 6’2″ Quarry Beach. Now 61, he’s lived there with his family for the past 20 years, while doing the odd work-related stint in other locations – ones with waves, of course.
“Last Sunday I got out and surfed until 10, had a quick change and then did some work at the beach. It’s tantalising sometimes when we’re doing the working bee and the surf is pumping.”
Now in a role as a planning and performance manager for DOC, conservation started early for David. His father was a teacher and a passionate conservationist. The Agnew family lived in the countryside, near Warkworth, on the banks of the Mahurangi River. Loving the outdoors, during high school David wanted to join the Forest Service. The fourth Labour government abolished the service in 1987 and some of its functions were subsumed by the newly created Department of Conservation.
David’s mum loved sailing on the family yacht, and on trips out to Aotea/Great Barrier Island they would pass the mysterious and rugged Te Hauturu-o-Toi /Little Barrier Island, a nature sanctuary and one of the most pristine ecosystems in Aotearoa. Just a child on those trips, little did David know he was looking at his future.
After high school and a few jobs here and there, David began a parks and recreation degree at Lincoln University. It was then he got his first surfboard and enjoyed sessions at the nearby breaks. After finishing his degree, he scored a summer volunteering gig on Te Hauturu-o-Toi /Little Barrier Island.
“It was a buzz to finally visit the island,” David says. “It was like a dream come true. Seeing all these threatened species, working with bats, tuatara, kiwi. They still had kiore – the Polynesian rat there. Since then, they’ve eradicated them.”
Next, he landed a role with DOC at the National Wildlife Center in Mt Bruce, Wairarapa, helping to protect hihi/stitchbird, kōkako and tīeke/saddleback. Eventually he transferred to Aotea/Great Barrier Island and led a project in the Ōkiwi basin to protect the population of pateke/brown teal in the Whangapoua Estuary. It was during this time on Whangapoua Bar that David’s surfing really took off.
Gisborne, Whitianga, Invercargill – his work for DOC has taken him throughout the country allowing him to explore the local breaks – many top secret to this day.
“When I was working in the Invercargill office I often went to Oreti Beach for a surf, and I’d see Hector’s dolphins,” David recalls. “One time a Hector’s leapt out of the water a metre in front of me. During that time, I’d report my sightings, feeding that info into a database for science. The last surf I had at the beach, on the last wave, I looked across and saw a Hector’s dolphin riding along next to me.”
“For me, surfing provides such a positive element to my lifestyle,” he considers. “There are the obvious physical and mental health benefits from the exercise, co-ordination and exhilaration after catching a great wave. And this gets combined with being in the elements and occasionally sharing the ocean with taonga species such as pakake/sea lions, hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin and toroa/albatross. Those moments are definitely blurring the lines between surf and conservation.”
“For me, surfing provides such a positive element to my lifestyle. There are the obvious physical and mental health benefits … and this gets combined with being in the elements and occasionally sharing the ocean with taonga species such as pakake/sea lions, hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin and toroa/albatross. Those moments are definitely blurring the lines between surf and conservation.”
Six Ways Surfers Can Act For Conservation
• Reduce waste, leaving just footprints
• Find ways to reduce energy use
• Weed out invasive species in your garden and set a trap
• Pick up rubbish down at the beach
• Always be aware of your dog, especially in areas with vulnerable species
• Choose a career in conservation