Barbara Mitcalfe

Barbara Jean Mitcalfe née Fougère (25 November 1928 – 7 January 2017) was a New Zealand conservationist, botanist and educator. She is best known for being an expert field botanist, for her conservation work in and around the Wellington region, and for helping to establish the first Māori preschool.

Early life and education Mitcalfe was born in New Brighton, Christchurch in 1928 to Edna and Maurice Fougère. The family moved to Wellington where she attended Mt Cook Primary School and then Wellington East Girls' College.

Later that decade Mitcalfe returned to Wellington. This recording is held at the Alexander Turnbull Library. She also conducted lectures and workshops on native plants and on the Environmental Care Code.

She advocated for and was involved the restoration work to facilitate establishing a corridor of native forest from Wellington's South Coast to the Tararua Range. This reserve is the largest area of private protected land in the city of Wellington and as well as acting as a trustee, Mitcalfe helped compile the first plant list for the reserve as well as coauthored the reserve management plan. As a result of her botanical expertise Mitcalfe was employed by the Department of Conservation, the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Wellington City Council and the Hutt City Council to conduct surveys, create plant lists and advise on conservation efforts throughout the Wellington region.

Botanical writing She was a prolific writer of journal and newsletter articles, plant lists and reports to and for the Department of Conservation and various Wellington regional and city councils. Publications she contributed to included the 2002 pamphlet NZ Native Plants Recommended for Restoration and/or Amenity Purposes in Wellington Regional Parks, the Department of Conservation's Native plants for stream sides in Wellington Conservancy and the 1999 Wellington Regional Native Plant Guide.

Family Mitcalfe was married to writer Barry Mitcalfe and had five children with him. Her partner, as well as botanical collaborator, for the later portion of her life was Chris Horne.

Death Mitcalfe died on 7 January 2017. A celebration of her life was held at the Tapu Te Ranga Marae surrounded by the native plantings she had helped to establish.

Selected works