ZEALANDIA’s world-first predator exclusion fence is now twenty years old. The patent on the fence has now reached its end, and this provides us with the opportunity to share our expertise and accumulated knowledge with others, confident that this approach works. 

CentrePort has joined forces with ZEALANDIA Te Māra a Tāne and the wider community surrounding the Kaiwharawhara Stream to help protect one of Wellington’s most precious waterways.

ZEALANDIA includes some incredible waterways as well forest ecosystems. We are excited to be embarking on a long-awaited effort to begin restoring the health of Roto Kawau, our lower reservoir.

Mātauranga Māori is Māori knowledge systems, and an area of increasingly wider interest as it works to complement Western science systems.  The ZEALANDIA Mātauranga Māori Summer Scholarship programme began in the summer of 2019/2020 to provide the sanctuary a mātauranga Māori perspective into areas of sanctuary relevance. Read more about our researchers here. 

The rare, parasitic plant pua o te Rēinga/dactylanthus taylorii has now officially been planted in the sanctuary. This project was a historic first with selected representatives from across all six iwi within the Greater Wellington Region being heavily involved in the translocation.

Wellington City Council, ZEALANDIA and local iwi are proud to be part of a mission to bring a very rare parasitic plant back to the capital.

What plant has no leaves or stems? Pua o te Rēinga/Dactylanthus taylorii!

Pua o te Rēinga is New Zealand’s only endemic (unique to NZ) plant that is fully parasitic. Unlike most plants that use photosynthesis for energy, it gets its energy by attaching to the root of a host tree and taking nutrients from it. The host root then develops a flared surface that the pua o te Rēinga can grow around. The tree is not harmed in this process, and both species are able to coexist together.

How do we monitor wildlife that we can’t always see, particularly in water? The answer is environmental DNA (eDNA).  This process works by collecting water samples that get tested for trace elements of DNA left by the species living in the habitat. By gaining a better picture of what lives where, we can start to understand how we might create a healthier environment.

Matariki is approaching and provides a great opportunity to reflect on the past year. ZEALANDIA has had many significant conservation achievements and we have chosen three to share with you.  

ZEALANDIA has today launched a Givealittle campaign to support its crucial conservation work during the COVID-19 response. 

“For almost 25 years, we’ve been working to bring the birds back to Wellington, and we need your help to keep it that way,” says ZEALANDIA’S Chief Executive Paul Atkins. “We rely on supporters and visitors to fund our critical conservation work, and this work does not stop even when we are closed to the public.” 

ZEALANDIA has been hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdown, as the majority of its income comesfrom visitors, including many thousands of international tourists visiting Wellington each summer and autumn.