She’s passionate, talented and gets things done. Jinty MacTavish is known to many people and has a rich history in serving Dunedin’s communities.

Known to many people for serving as a Dunedin City Councillor for two terms, from 2010-2016, Jinty is an advocate for sustainability and the environment. Jinty’s work helped shape plans and a vision for the city, including the environment strategy, energy plan, work on food resilience, urban regeneration, investment and support for community development.

Jinty continued working to make communities more sustainable, resilient and connected while chairing the Landscape Connections Trust (aka The Halo Project) from 2014-2018.

Recent stints working on a predator-free island have further fuelled a passion for protecting and restoring nature. In Jinty’s words…

“Working as a ranger on predator-free Whenua Hou/Codfish Island last year gave me first hand experience of the richness of human experience in a place with thriving native ecosystems.

Sealions and kākāpō occasionally turning up on the front deck, fearless kereru wandering aimlessly around on the helipad ‘mowing’ the lawn, abundant flurries of alarmed green wingbeats as kakariki rise in response to footfalls on the tracks, surprisingly melodic kākā calls starting the dawn chorus in every corner of the island, hollow trees alive with roosting bats that sing from crevices on warm summer nights, millions of seabirds turning the evening airspace into a raucous runway and the top of the island into a maze of burrows so densely spaced that they are almost unnavigable.

These and so many other experiences I want to be accessible to New Zealanders not just on remote offshore islands, but in every corner of our motu, and especially here in Ōtepoti/Dunedin.

It’s a long journey to restore our damaged ecosystems to their full glory, but I’m very much looking forward to contributing to the collective Predator Free Dunedin effort towards that goal, in this new role.”

Her current role as Principal Policy Advisor at the Dunedin City Council, sees her focussing primarily on Dunedin’s Energy Plan and new Zero Carbon 2030 target, also with input into sustainability in the DCC’s strategy and operations more generally.

PFD Trustees and the management team are excited to have Jinty leading this organisation, bringing with her the experience, wisdom, energy and generosity which many of us are familiar with and value so highly.