The Queenstown conservationist named a finalist in the 2009 Inland Otago Conservation Awards says it's funny that people get awards for what they love doing.
Protecting New Zealand's natural history has been a lifelong love affair for Neill Simpson and he has worked tirelessly to plant hundreds of thousands of native trees, remove just as many wilding conifers and help establish virtually every public walkway since he arrived in Queenstown almost 30 years ago.
Mr Simpson's appreciation of nature was inspired by his mother, a keen gardener, and developed through his passion for tramping and photography.
That passion became a profession when the 76-year-old was made an honorary botanist at the Wanganui Regional Museum, in his home town, about 40 years ago.
He came to the Wakatipu as a ranger for the Department of Conservation's predecessor to oversee the development of the Remarkables skifield area in 1981.
Mr Simpson had seen the damaging effects of wilding pines on biodiversity as a tramper and ranger at Tongariro National Park in the 1970s.
"When I came [to Queenstown] and saw these Douglas firs spreading on Ben Lomond, I could see they were going to be a problem in the future for the whole district. They will take over the whole hillside and smother the native plants growing there."
As senior ranger in 1982, Mr Simpson organised funding for at least six participants of the government's PEP (pre-employment) scheme to help him clear as many wilding conifers as they could, starting with the reserves at Ben Lomond and along the Lake Wakatipu foreshore from Closeburn to Queenstown.
"It started as a man-man band here and then a couple of assistants - then later we had permanent staff," Mr Simpson said.
"It was a priority in my mind, but it wasn't in the department's mind... Now it's a priority for Doc."
The recipient of a Queenstown Lakes district civic award said wilding control was "improving".
He was optimistic about the Wakatipu Wilding Conifer Control Group, an incorporated society formed earlier this year, for which he advises.
"Co-operation is the only way to progress because the pines don't respect any boundaries of council land, leasehold land and reserves. I firmly believe we can get on top of it, but it will take time, patience and commitment."
The botanist, biologist and ecologist is being commended for his planting of hundreds of thousands of native species, specifically mountain and red beech, pittosporum and broadleaf.
The conservation consultant continues to plant around the Kelvin Heights peninsula and will join fellow Wakatipu Islands Reforestation trustees for planting days on Pigeon Island in September and October.
The devoted husband of Barbara Simpson, father of three sons and grandfather to three children was also recognised for his work in helping to form or enhance walking tracks in the Wakatipu.
As a keen tramper, Mr Simpson backed the small group of volunteers who laboured to improve the One Mile walkway when he arrived in 1981.
He was involved in improving the Queenstown Hill track, the Ben Lomond Track and many others at a time when walkways were not popular.
"There was potential for a lot of good tracks with historical sites and nice native forest," Neill Simpson said.
"It was also to interest people in native vegetation. It was hard to find native plants in Queenstown, apart from growing naturally in remnants of early days.
"There's still potential for new tracks and the [Wakatipu Trails] trust can look at private land and connect up a lot of tracks.
"One track I'd like to see is along the lake shore to Glenorchy, so people could walk from Wanaka through the Wakatipu basin and connect up with existing tracks in Queenstown and then along Sunshine Bay to Glenorchy."
