Nicola MacDonald ( Ngāti Wai, Te Rarawa, and Taranaki) is a practitioner of kaitiakitanga who believes in walking her talk – hikoi te korero. A dedicated conservationist, she led the deployment of the world’s largest shellfish bed restoration (150 tonnes of mussels) in Te Moananui-ā-Toi/The Hauraki Gulf, has participated in and planted over over 350,000 trees in the Mahurangi to combat the impacts of climate change, and is a co-researcher on mātauranga Māori methods to use natural fibres replacing plastic ropes used for mussel spat. Nicola’s drive to tackle issues head on attracts people to join her in combating threats to te taiao/the environment, particularly her leadership in facing the invasion of the exotic caulerpa weed where she enlisted experts from California to help address this issue. Currently, she is a member of several governance bodies including the Māori Women’s Welfare League and the climate change platform Oho Mauri Trust. Nicola is also Chair of the Auckland Conservation Board, and Pou Taiao (representing the 19 mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau) and she is co-chair of the Hauraki Gulf Forum. Her approach embodies the essence of kaitiakitanga – safeguarding our environment for future generations. Grounded in te ao Māori, Nicola’s leadership consistently demonstrates her dedication to tangata whenua and maintaining the balance between our cultural heritage and the natural world.