Dick Veitch spent his working career with the New Zealand Wildlife Service, now part of the Department of Conservation. After completing a Wildlife Traineeship he worked in various positions around the country with the final goal of work on the northern offshore islands. His work as a threatened species officer took him to most parts of New Zealand, its outlying islands and quite a few other islands around the world. His first contact with Hauturu was with the team carrying out the capture and transfer of kiwi to Pōnui Island, where they now thrive. He later managed the cat eradication project, transfer of hihi to other islands, the return of tīeke to Hauturu and the transfer of kōkako from North Island forests to Hauturu. Dick is now retired, but is still actively involved with restoration projects on Hauturu.
