Volunteer


Orana Wildlife Park Volunteers – Incredible People

Volunteers are a key part of the Park’s operation. They primarily assist with visitor services, helping us achieve our conservation advocacy objectives whilst ensuring guests have an enjoyable visit. We also welcome skilled people who wish to volunteer their services to the Park in a wide range of gardening and light maintenance work. Overall, volunteering is a challenging, varied and interesting role.

 

We currently have two programmes: Visitor Hosts and Field Team.

Visitor Hosts (18 years and over)

Visitor Hosts carry out a range of duties depending on the skills and interests of the individual.

 

There are three distinct Visitor Host roles:

  • Walkabout Guides lead visitors on a tour around the zoo from one animal feed to the next. They provide key information to visitors, deliver presentations and assist at public animal feeds, particularly the Farmyard and Giraffe feeds.
  • Shuttle Drivers conduct tours on our electric shuttle circuit while providing an educational and entertaining commentary.
  • Spot Guides specialise in key areas of the Park, answering questions and conducting personalised mini tours for visitors of their specialist area.

 

Field Team (16 years and over)

There are two distinct Field Team roles:

  • Domestic Animal Assistants primarily help our Animal Keepers in the Farmyard with the cleaning and maintenance of enclosures. This role is designed for those who are 16 to 17 years old or those who are considering a career with animals and need to gain some work experience. They also assist Visitor Hosts at key animal feeds and Grounds with a variety of other housekeeping and grounds tasks.
  • Grounds keep our park-like environment tidy and presentable for visitors. Sweeping paths, gardening and window cleaning are just a few things that you might do as part of the Grounds Team.

 

The successful applicant must possess the following attributes:

  • Be a team player and a reliable person with a ‘can do’ attitude
  • Excellent oral communication skills
  • Outstanding customer service and people skills with a positive, polite and friendly personality
  • A passion for conservation and the aims of the Trust
  • Be safety conscious and able to work with minimal supervision
 

For more information about our programme, please contact the Visitor Services Team on (03) 359 7109 extn 819 or volunteers@oranawildlifepark.co.nz.

To apply to be an Orana Wildlife Park Volunteer, please download the Volunteer Application Pack and complete and return the form included within the pack to volunteers@oranawildlifepark.co.nz.

 

We welcome volunteer applications from interested people throughout the year. Please note that from mid-November until mid-February applications will be on hold whilst we operate during our peak visitor season.

 

Download Volunteer Application Pack