Karen Fifield MNZM was appointed chief executive of Wellington Zoo in 2006.
Wellington Zoo was founded in 1906 and is the oldest zoo in New Zealand. One person who nominated Fifield said: “Karen has led the transformation of Wellington Zoo into a globally recognised zoo. Wellington Zoo has won many awards since she became chief executive. Notably, Wellington Zoo won the inaugural WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award in 2018 and was the first Toitū carbon zero certified zoo in the world in 2013.”
Fifield has been elected as president of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), serving from October 2023. She has worked extensively with WAZA, as vice-president, a member of the Conservation and Environmental Sustainability Committee and as chair of the Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee. She has had a lead role in the development of the association’s sustainability guides, as well as policies including the WAZA 2023 Animal Welfare Goal, Protecting Our Planet, and WAZA Sustainability Strategy.
Speaking to A Different View for the greenloop Narratives for Sustainability report, Fifield commented: “Procurement is critical to supporting the SDGs [sustainable development goals] – we have to be seen to be doing the right thing and so we have an ethically sourced supply chain – it is not about dollars, it is about the principle.”
Fifield also serves on the Tapui Aotearoa Governance Group, an organisation which is exploring ways to protect the biodiversity in New Zealand through biobanking.
She was honoured with the title Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to Business and Animal Welfare in 2017. Fifield was appointed as a member of the Wellington Conservation Board, was elected as a member of the New Zealand Sustainable Business Council, and has been president of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia. In 2010, Fifield was Wellingtonian of the Year in the Environment category.