iNaturalist NZ workshops
The New Zealand Bio-Recording Network Trust (NZBRN) intermittently runs free workshops where you can learn more about how to use iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao to discover and document the nature in your favourite places.
Below are some of our previous workshops (the earlier ones use our former NatureWatch NZ name).
CitSci workshop in Auckland
half-day workshop on Sunday 29 Nov. 2020
Auckland University has organised a half-day CitSci community workshop as part of Auckland's Pestival weekend. We're there with a beginner and intermediate session on using iNaturalist NZ–Mātaki Taiao, and there's also a workshop on eDNA and one on CatchIT for monitoring pest mammals trapping. It should be fun.
Taxonomy for Plant Conservation
one-day workshop on Botanising with iNaturalist Sunday 24 Nov. 2019
Jon Sullivan and John Barkla led a one-day workshop on iNaturalist for botanists as part of the joint conference of the Australasian Systematic Botany Society (ASBS) and the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN), held at Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington. The morning was for beginners and the afternoon for advanced users.
NatureWatch NZ in Wellington
two one-day workshops on Friday 4 Dec. and Saturday 5 Dec. 2015
We are running two one-day workshops on NatureWatch NZ in Wellington this December. The Friday event will be targeted at biodiversity professionals like council staff and the Saturday event for community groups, although you're welcome to whichever day suits you best. The venue will be the Leonard Cockayne Centre at Otari Wilton's Bush, generously provided by the Wellington City Council.
The workshops will cover all the basics about how to get the most out of NatureWatch NZ and what NatureWatch NZ can do for you. Plus we'll have NatureWatch NZ gurus on hand to help more experienced users to things like upload and download bulk data.
Register now at www.eventbrite.co.nz. Note that spaces are strictly limited due to our venue so if you're sure you're coming, please don't delay in registering. For more information, we're at info@inaturalist.nz.
Using NatureWatch NZ for Conservation Monitoring
Auckland and Christchurch workshops, June–July 2015
Here are the latest details for this Christchurch weekend workshop, and here are the latest details for the previous weekend's Auckland workshop.
This year, NatureWatch NZ is working with Nature Space, Auckland Council, and Environment Canterbury, to help you monitor nature in your local restoration project or favourite wild area. How quickly is wild nature returning to your restoration site? What species are still missing? Are pests and weeds reducing the native biodiversity at your site? Answering these questions requires monitoring. Monitoring is much easier, and more interesting, now that you can connect to naturalists throughout NZ using NatureWatch NZ.
These workshops provide a grounding in the basics of monitoring, followed by individual hands-on help establishing or refining a monitoring programme that meets your needs. Join us to learn more about watching the nature near you.
Auckland 27–28 June, Landcare Research meeting room, Tamaki
Christchurch 4–5 July, Travis Wetland Education Centre
Download the workshop flier
Download the registration form
While these workshops are open to all, preference will be given to Nature Space affiliated restoration groups. Nature Space provides online support for groups, individuals and landowners undertaking ecological restoration in New Zealand. Especially for day 2 of the workshop, we encourage groups to consider sending 2 to 3 people that consider themselves to be moderately ‘tech savvy’ (they know the very basics of using a spreadsheet to enter and save data).
Day 1
- Learn the key functions of the NatureWatch NZ platform and how to utilise its capabilities to record, map, and learn more about NZ biodiversity.
- Understand the principles of monitoring and work through examples of simple approaches that you can use to inform your restoration and conservation management.
- Make a group monitoring project using NatureWatch NZ and populate this with new records as part of a field recording exercise.
Day 2
- Learn the key functions of NatureWatch NZ (a morning repeat for those unable to attend Day 1. If you did Day 1, you can dive straight in.)
- Spend one-on-one time with NatureWatch NZ experts to plan and refine your own monitoring projects. If your group is already monitoring, we’ll work with you to integrate it into NatureWatch NZ to do more. If you’ve got data, we’ll work with you to wrangle it into the right format for NatureWatch NZ and help you use your data to answer your questions.
If you're keen to attend, please fill in the registration form and send it to info@inaturalist.nz.
Introduction to NatureWatch NZ at Matariki Planting day at Orakei, Auckland
Saturday, 20 June
As part of the Matariki Planting Day at Orakei, NZBRN chair Colin Meurk and colleagues will be stationed at Orakei marae throughout the day (and evening if there is demand) to provide an introduction and demonstration of the use of NatureWatch NZ. People can join us making observations of the locations and sizes of the plants planted during Matariki Planting Day so that we can track their growth on NatureWatch NZ.
Kindly hosted by Ngati Whatua at Orakei Marae.
Introduction to NatureWatch NZ, Dunedin
Half day workshop 1 June
We're working on the details of a half day workshop in Dunedin, tentatively schedule for Quuen's Birthday Monday, 1 June, 2–5 PM, at the Otago Museum's Hutton theatre in central Dunedin. We'll add details as they become available.
Evening seminar on botany with NatureWatch NZ
Dunedin, 3 June
One of the NatureWatch NZ founders, Jon Sullivan, will be giving a talk in Dunedin on observing plants with NatureWatch NZ to the Otago Botanical Society on 3 June.
An introduction to NatureWatch NZ
Wednesday 3rd June, 2015
Start time: 5:20 PM
Finish time: 7:00 PM
Jon Sullivan, Lincoln University. NatureWatch NZ is a place where you can share what you see in nature, meet other nature watchers, and learn about New Zealand animals, plants, and fungi. It aims to build a living record of life in New Zealand that scientists and environmental managers can use to monitor changes in biodiversity, and that anyone can use to learn more about New Zealand's amazing natural history. NatureWatch NZ is run by the New Zealand Bio-Recording Network Trust, a charitable trust dedicated to bio-recording. Jon Sullivan from Lincoln University along with Colin Meurk and Jerry Cooper from Landcare Research got things underway in 2005. Starting off as NZBRN it later adopted the international iNaturalist platform and a New Zealand optimised blend of iNaturalist was launched in August 2012 as NatureWatch NZ. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.
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