Researcher - Advocate - Athlete

Ashton is a former professional canoe sprint athlete for New Zealand and holds a Master Degree in Environmental Science, where he helped pioneer new methods of detecting pest fish in lakes using eDNA technology. Ashton’s passion for the natural environment originated in the game parks of South Africa, where he was born and raised until the age of nine. This passion then developed into a love for anything to do with water once he moved to New Zealand, which led him into dive guiding at the world-famous Poor Knights Islands and working as a professional surf lifeguard. Ashton is now an expedition guide in the remotest regions of the planet, sharing his passion for mammals, birds and other wildlife in the wildest places on Earth.

When Ashton is not expedition guiding in the polar regions and around the world, he works as a biosecurity co-ordinator, working on the front lines to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic pests that are threatening New Zealand’s delicate aquatic ecosystems.

Check back here in late 2026 for my upcoming scientific publication that I've been working on..