Tiritiri Matanga Island is located 30km north east of central Auckland and just 4km from the end of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Tiritiri Matangi Island is one of New Zealand's most important and exciting conservation projects. 120 years of farming saw this 220-hectare island stripped of 94% of its native bush but between 1984 and 1994, volunteers planted between 250,000 and 300,000 trees.

John Ewen has been involved with the island of Tiritiri Matangi since the translocation of the critically endangered Hihi (Stitch Bird) was first attempted in 1995.

His research career started with a MSc degree under the supervision of a long term collaborator and friend Doug Armstrong. Dr Ewen has since completed a PhD at la Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and a post doctoral position in Paris.

Most recently, John has taken up a research position at the Institute of Zoology in London where he has continued to develop his work interest in this species. John's primary focus has been on testing the links between diet, parasites and health in hihi and how these factors influence productivity and fitness. His research has actively contributed to the scientific understanding and conservation management of the Hihi following its reintroduction to Tiritiri Matanga and means that John is both a conservation biologist and an evolutionary ecologist.