Marsden years: 1971-1978 

This award recognises Bronwen Golder's contribution to conservation, both nationally and internationally, especially in the area of the marine environment. 

Leaving school in 1978, having chaired the School Council, she completed her first degree in English and History at Victoria University. She continued her studies on a scholarship at Mt Holyoke College in Massachusetts adding politics and international relations to her qualifications. Today she is a Fellow with the Stanford University Centre for Ocean Solutions. 

After working in America for 10 years in corporate banking and healthcare, she returned to New Zealand and worked in a variety of community economic development roles in government. In 1995 she began working for WWF International, facilitating consultation and planning for large scale conservation projects. 

This took her all over the world designing, resolving and developing strategies for conservation projects with indigenous, government and business stakeholder. For Bronwen, science, culture and collaboration are influencers for success, if wisely employed. 

The conservation work piqued her interest in the marine environment, especially in her home waters. She joined the Pew Conservation Trusts in 2010, becoming the Director of the Kermandec Initiative, part of Pew Bertarelli Global Ocean Legacy. She is currently the Global Lead for the Seamounts Campaign of the Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition, with a focus on protecting seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction. In New Zealand ocean protection tends to be a highly political issue, with current debate around deep sea bottom trawling and deep-sea mining. With a knowledge of the economy, science, and international ocean policy Bronwen continues working with New Zealand ocean advocates and champions to make secure a healthy and productive marine environment for future generations. 

Her interests and skills have also been seen in the Midwifery Council and in the Pacific arts. 

By her own admission she is "an advocate for balance, for a recognition of different values that are weighed equally. An advocate for cultural and environmental values that are considered equal to economic values".