“IN THE CHANGE
FOR THE CHANGE”
BEN
Ben doesn’t just believe in change — he lives inside it. For over a decade, he’s worked on the frontlines of conservation, from the depths of Peru to the plains of Australia and now in Aotearoa. As a zookeeper, his work has always been about something bigger: protecting the wild, one species at a time.
The wild has always known him. Even as a kid, injured or abandoned animals would find their way to him — and he’d do everything he could to help. Some he nurtured back to life. Some didn’t make it. But each one taught him something: how to care deeply without control, how to hold space for both effort and outcome. That kind of resilience stays with you. You can see it in Ben’s face — thoughtful, weathered, calm. He doesn’t shout his convictions, but there’s fire in his values. You can disagree with Ben, and he’ll still find a way to connect.
Conservation, for Ben, isn’t just about the big campaigns. It’s the daily choices that matter — like picking up rubbish while you walk. Change isn’t somewhere out there. It’s here, in the small things, the intentional acts, the way we show up even when no one’s watching. “You have to be in the change to make change,” he says, and he lives that out, one grounded step at a time. Always with his trusty thermos of tea in hand — the same one he takes everywhere — a little ritual, a nod to his British roots, and a reminder that steady habits carry you far.
Now, Ben is in a season of pause — not stopping, just listening. After years of giving to the wild, he’s allowing himself time to rest, reflect, and prepare for whatever’s next. Because to keep the fire, you sometimes just need to reset beside it.
He’s not done. Not even close.
