My name is Reuben Rorrison. I’ve been obsessed with ecology for as long as I can remember; I was in the newspaper at age four as a budding entomologist, and by eight had formed my first unofficial company, “Wildlife Animals and Adventure,” recruiting half my classmates and running strict lunchtime training sessions for imagined missions to Borneo.

That early fascination never faded. I completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Ecology and Plant Biotechnology at the University of Otago and moved directly into consent-based ecological work within a national engineering consultancy. Working from a regional office, I was exposed to a wide range of projects and learnt how to collaborate across disciplines to deliver robust, defensible outcomes.

A former manager once described my focus as “legendary and at times concerning.”

Leaning into that intensity I have founded Restore NZ to operate at the interface between development and ecological systems. My work centres on integrating ecological thinking early; not as a compliance afterthought, but as a strategic component of project design. I bring together targeted senior expertise where required, while remaining closely involved in the detail myself.

My approach is direct, pragmatic, and outcome-focused. The goal is not simply to satisfy ecological standards, but to deliver projects that hold up technically, commercially, and environmentally over time.

I have been involved in a wide range of projects, working alone and in with a selection of phenomenal experts. Please contact me for my personal CV if you'd like a detailed list. I have experience in:

• Fish passage assessment, culvert design and culvert remediation; including guiding the design and implementation of intentional barriers to fish passage for the conservation of Threatened species.

• Comprehensive predator-proof sanctuary development: initial location assessment, fence design, pest eradication, ongoing management, and construction oversight.

• Stream Ecological Valuation (SEV) and stream offsetting using the SEV calculator;

• Fish survey and salvage, netting and electro fishing as well as fish exclusion barrier design and construction;

• Wetland delineation, planting/enhancement plans and offset design;

• Consents for multiple quarries including under the new rules allowing for loss of wetlands;

• Values and impact assessments using the EIANZ Guidelines and NPS-IB;

• 3 seasons involved in the SH3 Mt Messenger bypass implementing the lizard management plan and the ecology and landscape management plan;

• Lizard surveys and monitoring using artificial cover objects (ACO's), tracking tunnels, closed cell foam covers, manual searching and nocturnal spotlighting. I will often engage expert herpetologists in this space;

• Hotchstetters frog survey and salvage on the Brynderwyns SH1 roading project;

• Bird counts on most projects and as part of long term monitoring of the pest management area on the Mt Messenger Bypass;

• Pre clearance nest inspections;

• Native bat monitoring using hand held and automatic bat monitors (ABM's) and habitat risk assessment;

• Pest survey and management plan preparation;

• Site ecological values scoping and constraints/recommendations reporting;

• Extensive GIS mapping experience which forms the backbone of my reporting.

A jack of all trades and a master at collaborating with the right people to deliver exceptional work.

• BSC - Ecology and Plant Biotechnology

• DOC bat competencies 3.1, 3.2 & 3.3

• NIWA electro fishing machine safety training

• MPI Special Permit and Authorisation for native fish salvage and transfer

• MFE Certified pindone handler

• Outdoor first aid certified

• Offroad 4wd certified

• NZ Firearms and Class 1 drivers license

• Sitewise accredited 100% for 2025 / 26

• New Zealand Herpetological Society (NZHS)

• Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand (SRARNZ)