Forest and Bird's prestigious Old Blue award is being bestowed upon Matata's John Groom for his dedication to protecting the endangered New Zealand dotterel.John Groom

The long-serving Eastern Bay of Plenty member's been looking after birds, controlling pests and erecting signs at six sites over a 25km stretch of coastline during the dotterel breeding season.

Friend and former secretary of Forest and Bird's Eastern Bay of Plenty branch, Sue Greenwood says John's dedication really stands out, especially his incredible dedication to dotterels.

'The experience he has built up over the years, he know the birds so well and can interpret their behaviour,” says Sue.

'He loves sharing his knowledge and experience and talking to school groups and other groups.”

John is passionate about the environment and if fishermen drive their vehicles on the beach near nests above the high tide mark, he doesn't get angry.

Sue says he just talks to them calmly and asks them to watch out for the dotterel nests.

'John is not one for the limelight and prefers to just get on with the job.

'He is well respected by both DOC and the regional council because his commitment gets excellent results,” says Sue.

He has also been involved in many other Forest and Bird branch activities, including planting pohutukawa trees and organising walks and talks.