Paul Tamagushiku has protected, nurtured and cared for Christchurch parks for 38 years — earning him the title of the city council’s longest standing ranger.

The 68-year-old loves being a kaitiaki o te whenua or guardian of the land.

“I was a Waimari County Council labourer at Spencer Park in 1988 but, after restructuring, was offered the position of park ranger.

“Back then a ranger needed to be able to erect a fence, plant trees, build a shelter or park furniture and be good at managing park users.

“I thought the offer fitted my personality and ability and that it would be nice to contribute to this exceptional place.”

Friday, July 31, was World Ranger Day. It is held globally each year to celebrate the vital role rangers play in protecting earth’s natural treasures and honour any who have been killed or injured in the line of duty.

Tamagushiku is based at Bottle Lake, building and maintaining walking, running, horse and mountain bike tracks and has also helped deliver environment programmes to schools alongside the city council’s environmental educators.

He is one of the city council’s park rangers, who work closely with community groups protecting and restoring biodiversity and improving parks’ recreation facilities.

Tamagushiku said over the years, in general, the attitude of people visiting the parks and reserves have improved.

“People can be our biggest challenge, although that is balanced out by seeing park users enjoying the facilities we help provide in a positive way.”

As well as working as a ranger, Tamagushiku is listed as a city council interpreter. He was born and schooled in Vanuatu, where French is one of the country’s three official languages.

“Having a strong French connection, I play petanque and have been fortunate enough to have represented New Zealand five times in the Trans-Tasman Challenge and in one world championship in Rome in 2025.

Regional parks manager Paul Devlin said the bulk of the city council’s rangers are in the regional parks team, including specialist biodiversity management staff.

“Others are based in The Botanical Gardens, red zone and community parks. They all play an important role in encouraging community involvement in green spaces, managing behaviour within our parks, and of course maintenance and restoration.”