Kids need to expend some energy these school holidays? We’ve got you covered! With heaps of space to explore and things to see, come along to Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne and get out in nature. We’ve also got some fun activities planned to help keep the kids busy - read on to find out more!

Matariki has become a popular celebration of Māori culture, for all, across Aotearoa/New Zealand. Matariki is an important celebration to Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne as the sanctuary acknowledges the importance of Te Ao Māori through our commitment to Te Tiriti and our organizational values.

Click here to read more about how we're celebrating Matariki at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne including events and activities for the whole whānau.

Dragonflies are beautiful and live amazing lives but they are in trouble worldwide. 

ZEALANDIA has several species of dragonflies and damselflies and we are playing our part to encourage them. We are currently hosting Ruary MacKenzie-Dodds and Kari de Koenigswarter, UK dragonfly ambassadors, to survey the dragonfly populations found in the sanctuary, and educate those at ZEALANDIA about dragonflies and their freshwater habitat. Ruary and Kari will also be giving a public talk on Tuesday, 18 February.

Alfie: Hey Cuz! Awesome to have you back “couch-surfing” at Zealandia again. I always have room for my favourite relatives.

Sirocco: Skraaarrk! It’s great to be back Alf. Despite my busy schedule of climbing trees and international superstardom I love coming back to see my mates here at Zealandia and meeting all my fans. 

Wellington resident Jim Lynch, QSM, who from 1990 – 1995, managed to sell his dream of a fenced, urban sanctuary, and see it evolve into ZEALANDIA, Wellington’s pride. Jim, now retired and living in Waikanae, remains humble about his achievement. He’s adamant that he was just a small cog within a much larger group effort. “I feel so lucky to have been a part of this project. There was a lot of worry in the first few years, and it’s only in the last 5 years that it’s started to feel safe. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it.

This week veteran volunteer and resident wordsmith Rosemary Cole talks to Trustee Pam Fuller about ZEALANDIA's famous Monday Walk Group!

Swamps, marshes, fens and bogs.  These are our wetland areas, crucial buffer zones at the boundaries between land and water. Wetlands act as giant sponges in the landscape, soaking up rainfall which helps prevent flooding during storms. They also help protect rivers and lakes from runoff from the land during heavy rain by trapping sediment that can choke a stream and absorbing surplus nutrients like nitrogen that can lead to the explosion of algal blooms.  Wetlands are a toxin sink, storing environmental pollutants as well as nitrogen and carbon in its wet, airless soil and in the deep roots of the plants that grow there.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to two of my favourite Zealandia conservation staff – Raewyn Empson and Matu Booth – about our impending visit from Sirocco the kākāpō.