Summit Road Society jobs and careers

About Summit Road Society

Many cities around the world are instantly recognizable from the mountains or hills that provide a backdrop to the urban environment. So it is with Christchurch, New Zealand. However, nowhere in the world are the local hills more accessible, more friendly, or more widely used than those that lie between Christchurch and its port at Lyttelton. These hills are known as the Port Hills. They are part of, and form the western flank of a large, volcanically derived peninsula, known as Banks Peninsula. The Summit Road which provides easy access around the Port Hills of Christchurch owes much to the vision and drive of one man, H.G. (Harry) Ell. His idea was to involve the public in the appreciation and enjoyment of the natural assets by ensuring that they had access to the area. To this end he developed the concept of a "highway" with walking tracks along the summit of the Port Hills, with rest houses spaced at intervals, and, in the early years of the last century he worked unceasingly to achieve his aim. He overcame political difficulties and incredible financial constraints, laying the foundations for the Summit Road and its rest houses by the time of his death in 1934. The Summit Road Society was established in 1948 to further the vision of Harry Ell: to preserve and protect the Port Hills. We own and manage three reserves on the Port Hills, Ohinetahi Bush Reserve, Omahu Bush & Gibraltar Rock, and Linda Woods Reserve. In addition, we run the community trapping programme, Predator Free Port Hills - an initiative under the blanket of Predator Free NZ 2050 to help protect our native birds from invasive predator species.