Poutokomanawa

Meet our co-directors Samara Nicholas and Kim Jones

The Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust has been guided for over 20 years by our dedicated directors, whose passion for freshwater and marine conservation continues to shape our journey. Samara and Kim's collective vision and leadership have been instrumental in building a strong, community-based foundation for our work across Aotearoa. Their ongoing commitment ensures that our kaupapa remains grounded, collaborative, and future-focused—nurturing the next generation of kaitiaki.

Samara Nicholas and Kim Jones met in Year 11 at Kamo High School. Kim had transferred to Kamo for their performing arts programme and Samara had transferred from West Auckland with her family to settle in Whananaki. Samara and Kim quickly connected through their shared interests in drama and geography. They were taught by Warren Farrelly, an inspiring teacher who guided students in developing a proposal for a marine reserve and remarkably the only student-led one in Aotearoa to become official.

Samara Nicholas and Kim Jones met at Kamo High School when they were in Year 11. This photo was taken around 2006, a couple of years after Kim joined Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust.

Warren also taught many students there how to SCUBA Dive, including Kim, offering a CMAS Open Water Dive Certification through the high school. After high school, Kim completed Year 12 and spent time traveling and gaining work and life experience. Later on, wanting more meaningful work and inspired by becoming a mother, Kim enrolled in the Diploma in Environmental Management and Conservation at NorthTec, the course started by Vince Kerr and completed by Samara earlier.

Samara Nicholas MNZM

Samara Nicholas’ passion for the ocean began during her time as head prefect at Kamo High School in 1998, when her Year 13 geography class contributed to a marine reserve application in Whangārei Harbour. Inspired by the marine biodiversity around Motukaroro, this experience sparked a lifelong dedication to marine conservation.

After earning a Diploma in Environmental Management, Samara founded the Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) programme in 2001. She was a founding trustee of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, serving from 2002 to 2019. Now, as Poutokomanawa of the Trust, she focuses on marine programme direction, health and safety, management and strategy—while still making time to get in the water whenever possible.

Samara holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree (2005), PADI Divemaster and NAUI Skin Diving Instructor certifications, and is an experienced public speaker. Her favourite marine creature is the nudibranch.

Samara is a proud mother to Blaze and an active member of the Whananaki community. Her late husband, Shane Nicholas, who passed earlier this year, was a lifelong partner and supporter of her work. In her spare time, Samara enjoys snorkelling, diving, horse riding, and gardening.

Samara’s career highlights include sailing to the Kermadec Islands as a crew member with Young Blake Expeditions in 2012 and 2018. In 2014, she MC’d the New Zealand Dolphin Underwater Club’s 60th anniversary and received the Leo Ducker Award for her contributions to diving. In 2018, she was named Seaweek Ocean Champion and appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to marine education and conservation.

Kim Jones

Kim Jones has been a passionate advocate for environmental education since 2003, specializing in taking learning outdoors into nature's classroom. With over 20 years of experience across all Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust initiatives, she champions integrated catchment management through a holistic 'mountains to sea' approach.

Kim's journey with the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust began in 2003 while she was completing a Diploma in Environmental Management and Conservation in Northland. After gaining work experience and qualifications in SCUBA diving, hospitality, and business administration from 1997-2003, she found her true calling in environmental education and conservation.

Throughout her career, Kim has established herself as a truly innovative leader, founding several successful environmental initiatives including the Wai Connection project, National Īnanga Spawning Programme, Whangārei Drains to Harbour stormwater awareness campaign, and the Mangrove Discovery Programme. She has also served as an experienced coordinator of the Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) programme.

While living in Northland with her husband Blair and their children, Zayne and Oceana, Kim achieved her DiveMaster qualification and started Oceandiversity Sea Adventures with Blair, offering unique tailored dive charters and services. In 2014, the family relocated to Auckland to grow their business further, where Kim also led the initiation and growth of freshwater work in the Auckland region as the Whitebait Connection National Coordinator. During this time, she established the National Īnanga Spawning Programme, national Community-based Freshwater Monitoring train the trainers project, and the Auckland Regional Whitebait Habitat Restoration Project that continues today and built a regional delivery team that has grown to over 20 people servicing the entire region.

Returning to Whangārei in 2018, Kim took on the role of Co-Director/Poutokomanawa while completing a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Science – Biodiversity Management. Her īnanga spawning research on the Ruakākā River has had significant impact, informing regional policy around īnanga spawning habitat protection and leading to her development of the Northland Inanga Spawning Habitat Restoration project, which was awarded $1 million through the Ministry for the Environment's Freshwater Improvement Fund.

Today, Kim leads the freshwater work, overall finance, and strategic growth of MTSCT while supporting national program delivery across Aotearoa. Her most notable recent achievement is spearheading the nationwide Wai Connection project (2023-2025), which secured significant funding from the Ministry for the Environment's Essential Freshwater Fund as part of their Catchment Group support strategic funding.

Kim plays a key role in building stakeholder capacity and capability, ensuring more coordinators and communities can engage with and lead this important conservation work into the future. When not protecting New Zealand's waterways, she enjoys hiking, diving, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.