Last week, the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark Trustees and staff said goodbye and farewell to our Geopark Manager Gerard Quinn. Gerard had been with the Geopark since its inception in June 2018 and supported and guided the Trust towards becoming New Zealand's first aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark. Chair Ross McRobie thanked Gerard on behalf of all the Trustees for his fantastic involvement and input into this project over the years. His contributions and initiative will be greatly missed.
Soon Gerard will start a new job as director of the University of Canterbury’s Centre for Entrepreneurship. The whole Waitaki Whitestone Geopark team wishes him all the best for his exciting next role!
In a recent media article Gerard said:
"He believed the geopark’s recent shift in focus from tourism to education, conservation and storytelling would help get more people on board with the concept.
He believed the geopark project had been the ‘‘single best platform to strengthen the council’s relationship with iwi’’ and had great potential.
‘‘It’s a simple project. It encapsulates much of what Waitaki is about — the land, the sea, how it’s shaped everyone’s lives here, past, present, and future."
[Otago Daily Times, 2 October 2021]
Original staff member Lisa Heinz, who has been with the Geopark since May 2019, has been appointed to the position of Geopark Manager to fill the shoes of Gerard Quinn.
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