Here is our schedule for our two one-day workshops in Wellington, on Friday 4 December and Saturday 5 December. We'll follow the same general structure on both days. However, we're keen to tailor the details to the interests of the attendees on each day, and can split into groups to focus on different topics in the afternoon.

The venue is the Leonard Cockayne Centre at Otari Wilton's Bush, 160 Wiltons Road. View Map

We're also doing an informal nature watching excursion to Polhill Reserve on Sunday morning (view map and more info about the reserve). The current plan is to meet at the Aro Street entrance to Polhill Reserve at 9:30 am Sunday and explore from there. Everyone's welcome. If you're coming, please let us know at info@naturewatch.org.nz or at the workshops.

Workshop presenters

Colin Meurk, researcher at Landcare Research, chair of the NZ Bio-Recording Network Trust, and co-founder of NatureWatch NZ

Jon Sullivan, ecology lecturer at Lincoln University, secretary of the NZ Bio-Recording Network Trust, and co-founder of NatureWatch NZ

Ed Wilson, restoration ecologist at Wai-ora landscapes and co-opted member of the NZ Bio-Recording Network Trust that operates NatureWatch NZ

Tim Park, ecologist at Wellington City Council and long-time NatureWatch NZ user

Agenda (repeated Friday and Saturday)

9:00–9:30 am: cuppa, muffins, informal introductions

9:30 am: Tim Park of Wellington City Council opens the workshop

9:40–10:00 am: round table introductions and learning what each person wants to get from the day

10-10:30 Colin Meurk introduces NatureWatch NZ and what it offers to biodiscovery, ecological monitoring, restoration, conservation, and citizen science in NZ.

10:30-11:00 Jon Sullivan gives a user overview of what NatureWatch NZ can do and a tour of some of the most important observations people have made so far.

11:00-12:00 Outside making observations and adding them to NatureWatch NZ

Reminder: install the iNaturalist mobile app if you have a smart phone or tablet.
If using a regular camera, please check that the date and time are correct.

12:00-1:00 pm lunch, sponsored by Wellington City Council

1:00-2:45 pm Breakout groups on any combination of essentials of monitoring, tips on how to take useful photos, methods for bulk data import and export, adding widgets to your website, using custom fields, making and using projects, adding places, making guides, mapping observations in GIS, and curator tools.

2:45–3:15 pm afternoon tea

3:30-4:30 Make a project with custom fields, add our observations to it, and stream the project's observations from an external website.

4:30-5:00 pm Final wrap up, feedback, Q&A, farewell.

Sunday excursion

9:30 am–1 pm: Polhill Reserve, all welcome

We gratefully acknowledge the support and financial assistance from the Wellington City Council's Our Living City Fund that have made these workshop possible.