Rhys Millar
Managing Director
ĹŚtepoti Dunedinđź“Ť
Co-founding Whirika in 2011, Rhys brings with him over two decades of experience at the intersection of ecological restoration, productive land use, and community development. He leads strategy, planning, and project delivery, aiming to unlock the potential of collaborative, community-driven environmental change.
His core expertise lies in forest restoration. Since 2000, he has designed, managed, and advised on restoration projects across Aotearoa New Zealand—ranging from local initiatives to some of the country's largest, including a major project in Auckland's Hunua Ranges.
With a background in both forestry science and international development, Rhys combines ecological expertise with a strong passion for community development. He is dedicated to community-led, landscape-scale biodiversity projects, spending over 15 years connecting iwi, communities, and landowners to embed native biodiversity into working landscapes. More recently, he has focused on using financial incentives to support biodiversity restoration and carbon sequestration, driving both environmental and economic outcomes.
As the longest standing member of the Whirika team, Rhys has led and contributed to countless projects, but some of his most notable are: founding and strategically leading Predator Free Dunedin, a large-scale biodiversity initiative involving 22 member groups and three Delivery Partners; developing the Halo Project, empowering hundreds of volunteers to support local environmental resilience; overseeing a major forest restoration programme in the Hunua Ranges; and partnering with Papatipu RĹ«naka to establish a large-scale native plant nursery and ecological restoration service.
Outside of work, Rhys geeks out on regenerative agriculture, and splits his time working livestock with his sheep dogs, hanging out in his slice of paradise with his whanau, and going bush in Aotearoa’s remaining wilderness areas.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Forestry Science, University of Canterbury, 1998
Postgraduate Diploma in International Development Studies, 2005
Member of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (MNZIF)
Get In Touch!
rhys.millar@whirika.co.nz
027-387-7866