Photo: Supplied
John Darby has quietly dedicated his life to science and wildlife conservation. He's a champion for the hoiho, the yellow eyed penguin, spending two decades supporting their conservation. In 1985, he negotiated the purchase of the largest breeding area on mainland New Zealand, creating the first fully-protected area for the species. And that was just in his spare time - his day job was as a zoologist and assistant director at Otago Museum. In his retirement, he's turned his attentions to the conservation of the rare and threatened Australasian crested grebe. In recognition of his work, he has been made a Companion of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, for his work in science education and last year was awarded the Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to wildlife conservation and science. But as John Darby tells Kathryn, it's a career he could never have imagined when he was growing up in orphanages in England during the war.
