Nicola Toki

Toki was born in Invercargill, and spent much of her early years moving around the South Island to support her father's career as a ski-plane pilot.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Kate |date=8 July 2022 |title='Don't let anything else go the way of the moa': Nicola Toki is taking Forest & Bird back to its roots |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/129204813/dont-let-anything-else-go-the-way-of-the-moa--nicola-toki-is-taking-forest--bird-back-to-its-roots |access-date=11 July 2022 |website=Stuff |language=en |archive-date=11 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711010405/https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/129204813/dont-let-anything-else-go-the-way-of-the-moa--nicola-toki-is-taking-forest--bird-back-to-its-roots |url-status=live }}

Toki studied at the University of Otago where she studied zoology and ecology, as well as a postgraduate diploma in natural history film-making.{{Cite web |last=Trump |first=Eric |date=23 April 2022 |title=Toki leading Forest & Bird at 'critical time' |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/toki-leading-forest-bird-%E2%80%98critical-time%E2%80%99 |access-date=11 July 2022 |website=Otago Daily Times |language=en |archive-date=25 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425080810/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/toki-leading-forest-bird-%E2%80%98critical-time%E2%80%99 |url-status=live }}

{{As of|2022}}, Toki lives in Waipara with her husband and son.

After finishing university, Toki worked as a camera operator for Channel 9, held an internship at Otago Museum, and then worked at the Dunedin branch of the Department of Conservation. She went on to work for the Department of Conservation as a media manager and for Forest & Bird as a conservation advocate.{{Cite web|last=Gilchrist|first=Shane|date=13 March 2010|title=Her voice against the mines |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/her-voice-against-mines|access-date=28 August 2019|website=Otago Daily Times |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828224203/https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/her-voice-against-mines |url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last=Bond|first=Sophie|title=Advocate Nicola Vallance Local Hero |work=Good |url= https://good.net.nz/article/nicola-vallance |access-date=29 August 2019|archive-date=28 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190828235944/https://good.net.nz/article/nicola-vallance|url-status=dead}} Between 2015 and 2019, Toki worked as a Department of Conservation threatened species ambassador, where she advocated for New Zealand's threatened species.{{Cite web |date=8 May 2019 |title=Behind the scenes: biodiversity report |url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/05/08/573363?slug=behind-the-scenes-biodiversity-report |access-date=28 August 2019 |website=Newsroom |language=en-AU |archive-date=22 August 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230822060249/https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/05/08/573363?slug=behind-the-scenes-biodiversity-report |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Jono |date=8 May 2018 |title=Telling the 'real story of New Zealand wildlife' |url= https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/television/telling-real-story-new-zealand-wildlife |access-date=28 August 2019 |website=Otago Daily Times |language=en |archive-date=28 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190828224925/https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/television/telling-real-story-new-zealand-wildlife |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=29 January 2018 |title='Biodiversity crisis': NZ has highest rate of endangered species on Earth |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/01/biodiversity-crisis-nz-has-highest-rate-of-endangered-species-on-earth.html |access-date=28 August 2019 |archive-date=28 August 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190828224921/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/01/biodiversity-crisis-nz-has-highest-rate-of-endangered-species-on-earth.html |url-status=dead }} After leaving that role, she was retained by the Department of Conservation as eastern South Island operations director.

In April 2022 Toki was appointed as Chief Executive of Forest & Bird, replacing Kevin Hague.{{Cite web |last=Gifford |first=Adam |date=22 April 2022 |title=More room for Māori in Forest and Bird |url=https://waateanews.com/2022/04/22/more-room-for-maori-in-forest-and-bird/ |access-date=11 July 2022 |website=Waatea News: Māori Radio Station |language=en-NZ |archive-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605014628/https://waateanews.com/2022/04/22/more-room-for-maori-in-forest-and-bird/ |url-status=live }} On her appointment, Toki said that she was looking forward to taking Forest & Bird (established in 1923) into its next century of operations, and wanted to work more closely with mana whenua.

She helps present the weekly radio show Critter of the Week with Jesse Mulligan on Radio New Zealand and previously had regular appearances on TVNZ's Good Morning and Meet the Locals.{{Cite web |title=Critter of the Week |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/collections/critter-of-the-week |access-date=28 August 2019 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz |archive-date=21 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821165328/https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/collections/critter-of-the-week |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Gilchrist |first=Shane |date=6 September 2008 |title=Girl meets the locals next door |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/girl-meets-locals-next-door |access-date=29 August 2019 |website=Otago Daily Times |language=en |archive-date=29 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829050734/https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/girl-meets-locals-next-door |url-status=live }}

Toki has disagreed with previous New Zealand Government policy proposals to mine in national parks and other significant conservation areas previously off-limits to mining interests. While at Forest and Bird she advocated for the protection of New Zealand endemic species through the use of 1080,{{Cite news|url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/syspages/--headline--.html|title=Report puts 1080 into perspective – Forest and Bird|last=Mullord|first=Ally|date=6 August 2011|work=Newshub |access-date=29 August 2019|language=en|archive-date=30 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230022106/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/syspages/--headline--.html|url-status=dead}} and campaigned against intensive and large-scale dairy farming.

Toki has said that she would like to see the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister hold the conservation portfolio, because it is an area that does not receive much attention nor funding.

{{reflist}}

• [https://thespinoff.co.nz/author/nicola-toki/ Articles written by Nicola Toki for The Spinoff ]
• [https://www.doc.govt.nz/get-involved/conservation-activities/meet-the-locals-videos/ "Meet the locals]" episodes featuring Nicola Toki

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Category:New Zealand television presenters

Category:New Zealand women television presenters

Category:New Zealand radio presenters

Category:New Zealand women radio presenters

Category:Living people

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:New Zealand conservationists

Category:People from Invercargill

Category:University of Otago alumni