Zoological Society of Auckland inc.
2026 Board Members
President: Abbie Wakelin - MWLM; BSc
Abbie has been on the board since 2018, and was elected as President in 2025.
By day she is the Interpretation Adviser at Auckland Zoo (managing all things signage and messaging onsite), by night she is usually on a field or court somewhere playing sports.
Her conservation passion and experience lie in science communication, bridging the gap between research and the public. She studied at the University of Otago, with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in zoology, and a Masters of Wildlife Management.
As a side hobby she enjoys a bit of wildlife photography, her most memorable experiences in wildlife were snapping photos in Borneo of wild Müller’s gibbons in Maliau Basin, and Sumatran rhinos at the Rhino Alliance Site.
Vice President: Caralyn Kemp
Caralyn has been on the board since 2024, and was elected as Vice President in 2025.
Biography in progress
Combined Membership & General Secretary: Steven Hayns - DipEdPsych; MPhil (Hons); BSc
I have had a ‘sense of wonder’ and been passionate about the natural world for as long as I can remember. I completed a BSc in Zoology and Psychology then an MPhil (Hons) followed by a Diploma in Educational Psychology in the early 1980’s. I was a High School teacher then an Educational Psychologist before specialising for 25 years in child and family intervention through parenting with a role training: health practitioners here in NZ and internationally (Australia, Hong Kong, North America, and the UK). In addition to the Zoological Society I am a member of the Astronomical Society and Birds New Zealand. Now retired with more time available I am eager to make any contribution I can to the development of ‘biophilia’ and a ‘sense of wonder’ about the natural world in society at large.
Treasurer: Tiffany Thacker
I have been volunteering with the Zoological Society of Auckland as the treasurer since April 2019. I am a Chartered Accountant and a member of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand. While I spend most of my week working with numbers, I really enjoy the time I spend with the Zoological Society, the people I have met along the way, and learning so much about the research that is being conducted in the field of zoology in New Zealand.
Board members:
Dr Lorne Roberts - PhD; BSc(Hons)
Lorne is passionate about ensuring best practice standards in zoos and about the positive effects zoos can have on public education, social attitudes and ultimately conservation. His research has included salivary cortisol testing in sealions and he has supervised student projects on zoo animals including servals, meerkats, golden cats and cheetah. Lorne co-founded the Kea Conservation Trust in 2006, and has since climbed up and down the mountains in the South Island researching kea populations. He is involved with an advocacy programme that tours the South Island in order to educate the human inhabitants about the demise of this unique endemic mountain parrot. He has spoken at zoo conferences in Australia, Singapore and New Zealand as well as at educational conferences.
Willow van As - MSc; BA.BSc
I completed my BA.BSc (majoring in English and Biology) at The University of Auckland, and followed this by achieving an MSc (with distinction) in Behavioural Ecology at the Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK. After returning to NZ I joined the Zoological Society of Auckland in February 2009, and found attending the seminars an extremely fascinating insight into current research and events related to the broad field of zoology. I am passionate about all creatures, from the tiniest of insects to the largest of whales, and my brood at home consists of three little people, one large great dane, and a frog. After serving as Vice President of the Zoological Society of Auckland for two years, in April 2014 I was appointed President of the Society, and look forward to the challenges this role will bring and seeing the direction that the Society will takeover the coming years. In my spare time I am also known as The Bone Lady, educating children about anatomy, zoology and conservation using animal bones and skeletons. In 2025 Willow stepped down from her President role in the society and was recognised with a hand-carved wooden ZSA logo by Steven Hayns, and a lifetime ZSA membership.
Samuel Clough – Ecology (MRes), Zoology (BSc, Hons)
Originally from the U.K., I completed both of my degrees at Glasgow University and since 2023 I have been doing a PhD on Aotearoa New Zealand’s ‘flying’ squids with the AUT Lab for Cephalopod Ecology and Systematics. I joined the Auckland Zoological Society Board on the same day that I presented my talk ‘Secrets of the Giant Squid’ to the society. While cephalopods are my main interest, I am eager to learn and communicate about our ever-changing natural world. Outside of academic life, I am an athlete that has participated in a few long-distance runs, and I enjoy doing wildlife photography when busy academic life permits me to do so.
On the ZSA board since 2024.
New board member: Alia Slack
Biography in progress
New board member: Mila Power
Biography in progress