Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne Ecosanctuary

Hand up if you think you were a kākā in a past life ✋

Vote kākā for Bird of the Year 2024 if you can relate.

https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

Photo credits:
1. Josh Overend Photography
2. Scott Langdale Photography
3. NZ Exposed Photography by Chris Helliwell
4 & 9. Judi Lapsley Miller, Artist
5. Peter Laurenson
6. Anita Kloezeman
7. Janice McKenna Photography
8. Melyssa FT

Are you struggling to find tasty food with dietary requirements in Wellington?

Right here at Zealandia, Rātā Cafe has some vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options!

Choose from:

🥚 Vegetarian Eggs on Toast (GF, DF on request)

🥓 Big Breakfast (GF on request)

🍄 Vegan Balsamic Mushrooms & Spinach on Hashbrowns (GF on request)

🍲 Soup of the Day (GF on request)

🍨 Gluten-free Dr Feelgood Ice Cream (vegan, DF on request)

☕ A range of alternative milks for coffee and a cabinet full of delicious GF and vegan snack options

All served with great views of the valley on the side for free 😍

Kākā are an icon 💅

We're backing kākā for Bird of the Year 2024 by Forest & Bird! Let this icon of Wellington and increasing biodiversity sway your vote and maybe your fashion choices 👀

Vote kākā for Bird of the Year 2024 until 5pm on 15 September at https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/voting/

Photo of kākā by Robin Wilkinson

Wellington bird artists Carol Theologo - Artist and Judi Lapsley Miller, Artist have teamed up to share their favourite birds with you at Te Māra Toi Gallery in Zealandia Visitor Centre 😍

Their artworks in "Our Feathered Friends" are inspired by the incredible birdlife in the ecosanctuary, where both Carol and Judi spend many hours studying and photographing their subjects.

If you love tūī, kākā, toutouwai, korimako, hihi, kōtare, pīwakawaka, ruru, and kererū too, you're in for a treat!

Running from 1 September to 10 October, this exhibition is FREE, but you can also buy the art "off the wall" or grab one of their fine prints at the gift shop 👀

When our predator exclusion fence was built over 20 years ago, only nine native forest birds were present in the Zealandia valley, many in small numbers. The beautiful blue, green and gold kōtare/sacred kingfisher was one of them.

📸 Nicholai Xuereb

🎉 Ultrawild by Steve Mushin just won the Elsie Locke Award for Nonfiction! 🎉

We're beyond proud of Steve—an incredible illustrator, creative genius, and a valued member of our Zealandia whānau 🥳

This isn’t just a book for kids: Ultrawilding is a mind-blowing journey into a world where nature and humans coexist, thanks to Steve's wild imagination and love for science and engineering.

Grab your copy at Zealandia Store to help us protect Aotearoa’s wildlife! 💚

Last week we had a very special awards night for our Zealandia volunteers.

Over 500 people continue to support our staff across the organisation, from infrastructure maintenance to regular and new conservation projects, and all the other tasks in between 🙏

Many of them have been with us since the very beginning of the sanctuary when the ground-breaking fence was put in place, while others have joined recently and are very welcome to the whānau 🤗

This year, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Zealandia fence, we also celebrated the team of Fence Checker volunteers with a fence-themed cake.

Congratulations and the biggest mihi to this year's winners—we wouldn't be here without you and your mahi 👏

• 10-year Long Service Award presented to Stephen Cook, Julia Stuart, and James Evans;

• 20-year Long Service Award presented to Alan Perry, Jenny Roy, Jenny Lewis, Jenny Walsh;

• Tōtara badges presented to Kathryn Kelly and Helen Bichan, who are completing their volunteering journey;

• Koru Award presented to Billy Papatsoumas, an outstanding volunteer who has been here for 18 months or less;

• Kākā Award presented to Bruce Frost, Tyler Florance, Lucy Cook, Tim Workman, Kathy Jordan, Michael McBryde, Rosemary Leith, and Murray Carson, who have all done amazing things;

• Faye Schaef Award (our highest volunteer award) presented to Ray Brownrigg who has been a great fence-checker and team player for many years.

https://www.visitzealandia.com/Whats-On/ArtMID/1150/ArticleID/592/

Even the carnivores are impressed with our gluten-free vegan burger 🍔

Made especially for Wellington On a Plate this year, Beleaf in a Greener Future is the only burger on offer this year that is both vegan and gluten-free!

The patty is made of lentil and seared jackfruit and complemented by leafy greens, charred pineapple, and pickled onions.

And of course, it comes with crisp kumara chips!

Try and rate it before 25 August at https://visawoap.com/rateandwin

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne cannot exist in isolation: we are part of the Kaiwharawhara stream catchment.

If the stream thrives, we all thrive.

This is why we are venturing outside the fence together with CentrePort volunteers to help our friends at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush Trust.

You’ll never guess what we found at the clean-up!

While other countries are trying to curb tourism, Aotearoa New Zealand harnesses its power for the benefit of conservation.

Thanks to ecosanctuaries such as Zealandia, bird populations have exploded over the last few years in different areas of the country.

More used to quieter forests, visitors are captivated by the experience of being so close to native wildlife.

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne Chief Executive Dr Danielle Shanahan says, “We have seen a large increase in visitation both to the sanctuary and to the number of visitors attending tours.”

“While the international reach of Bird of the Year may have influenced some people to visit Zealandia, we were also the winners of the Supreme Tourism Award in November 2023 which has enabled us to showcase how tourism can play a key role in regenerating both nature and communities and has encouraged visitation from both international and domestic audiences.”

‘NZ bush as it used to be’: Booming native bird life captivates West Coast tourists In 1998, there were only six kākāriki counted in a valley. Now there are 305.

Louis Mikaere's art exhibition at Zealandia has been extended till the end of August!

Louis (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Haua) is a Māori artist famous for his distinct style that combines the classical beauty of the native manu/birds, Māori motifs, and graphite style.

The little crown above each of the ten birds is basically Louis's signature (how cool is that!)

See the whole collection at Te Māra Toi Gallery. You could even purchase one as a statement piece 🖼️

Meet the maker of our Beleaf in a Greener Future burger for Wellington On a Plate!

A massive foodie and Rātā Café chef Sara strongly believes that vegan and gluten-free food must be just as delicious as any other.

This is what inspired her to create this 100% vegan and gluten-free burger that anyone, including people with dietary requirements like herself, can enjoy.

At just $21, Beleaf in a Greener Future features homemade seared jackfruit with Thai basil, mesclun, charred pineapple, and housemade vegan mayonnaise innestled on a Dough gluten-free bun; complete, with kūmara fries, housemade vegan aioli and Manaaki condiments.

Try it before 25 August and rate it at https://visawoap.com/rateandwin

If you feed native birds, give them sugar water, or set up bird baths, this is for you!

Many bird lovers start out with these to treat birds to something nice and just be closer to them.

However, all of the above are known to make birds and their chicks sick, cause disease spread, and make them vulnerable to predation.

The best way to bring all the birds to the yard is to plant native trees that they're used to!

Find out what plants you could get and hear from someone who has successfully transformed their backyard: https://www.visitzealandia.com/Whats-On/ArtMID/1150/ArticleID/574/Take-Action-Bringing-the-birds-to-her-backyard

Yesterday our solid sanctuary biosecurity systems put in place by our conservation team were put to the test, with a weasel discovered dead in a DOC200 trap at the southern end of the sanctuary. The good news is our safe-guarding systems are working.

This week the world celebrated World Ranger Day, and this discovery is a reminder of the critical role our rangers play every day in protecting the vulnerable species that call Te Māra a Tane home. These rare native species haven’t evolved with introduced predators like weasels, so we are pleased we have trapped this animal.

Incursions don’t happen often, but when they do our rangers put their other work on hold and focus on carrying out a well-honed response. Our rangers and their volunteer ranger assistants are out today checking the fence on this rainy, windy Wellington day.

Fortunately, introduced predators infiltrating our fence isn’t a common occurrence. The Zealandia fence is very effective at keeping species like weasels out, but very occasionally they get in and we need to respond.

Responding to events like this is expensive, and we are thankful to all the staff and volunteers who make it happen. We need your help to keep doing this work.

Please, if you are able, donate today.

Regular contributions in particular help support this ongoing, mission-critical work, and ensure we are always ready to respond. https://bit.ly/4cbDGM7

More information can be found here: https://bit.ly/4cfEuiS

📸 from Predator Free New Zealand Trust website. Credit John Bissell.

We are excited to announce that Rātā Cafe is participating in the iconic Wellington On a Plate festival this year!

Our talented chefs have crafted a unique one-of-a-kind dish that truly sets Rātā Cafe apart in both taste and adventure.

Beleaf in a Greener Future, our limited-edition vegan burger, will feature homemade seared jackfruit with Thai basil, mesclun, charred pineapple, and housemade vegan mayonnaise innestled on a Dough gluten-free bun; complete with kūmara fries, housemade vegan aioli, and Manaaki condiments.

Try it on 5-25 August and rate it at https://visawoap.com/rateandwin

Happy World Ranger Day to all the rangers in the world and especially to the ones that work at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne 💚

Our rangers keep the sanctuary running and are the ones out there implementing important mahi, some of which has never been tried in Aotearoa New Zealand before. For example, our 2023 toitoi translocation was likely the first time that freshwater fish had been moved within Aotearoa solely for restoration reasons and this year our Kaitiaki Rangers led a project to practice using whakaweku, a less stressful and traditional mātauranga Māori collection method, for collecting the fish.

This week alone we have had arborists in the sanctuary removing pine trees, but as part of this project we have also been trialling something called ‘veteranisation’. Veteranisation involves cutting the pines down in a way that creates habitat for many different species. For example, branches will be removed so that ragged ends are left, creating hollows for plants, fungi, and invertebrates to live in. This had never been thoroughly researched in Aotearoa before we started testing it out at Zealandia.

Our rangers are also helping plan the future of our fence and figuring out how we keep it in top shape as it celebrates its 25th birthday this year.

On top of this, they also carry out regular wildlife monitoring, pest audits, track maintenance, and so much more.

And if that wasn't enough, they are also happy to be the poster children of Zealandia and enthusiastically help share our message and the importance of caring for nature with our online audience.

We think they are all amazing and are thankful that we have such a passionate and fun group dedicated to looking after this special sanctuary.

First photo credit: Scott Langdale

Love to see Wellington City Council bringing attention to the precious waterways of Wellington 💚

Thorndon Quay pavement designs honour hidden awa Once burbling streams lie buried beneath the pavement on Thorndon Quay. We’re bringing them back to the light with beautiful etchings.

You only have one week left to grab this free and super fun activity book!

Sure, we made it for kids, but don't we all want to:

💩 Know which manu/bird poo smells nutty?
💫 Make a wish?
🍪 Bake shortbread stars?
✏️ Colour in some birds?

Find the Puanga Matariki Whānau Activity Book at the Zealandia Visitor Centre until the end of July!

Have you always wanted to join the team at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne?

We have several vacancies you might be interested in!

Whether you're a great project leader, administrator, manager, or marketer, there might be something for you.

Check out the roles we're hiring for at https://zealandia.qjumpersjobs.co/

Photo credit: Judi Lapsley Miller

Our marketing has been recognised in the Not-For-Profit category at YouTube NZ Marketing Awards!

Mission-based storytelling is a very powerful marketing strategy, especially for a not-for-profit.

Our mission is Living With Nature Tiaki Taiao Tiaki Tangata, the second stage of our 500-year vision to restore the valley.

This means we're not just a tourist destination—we are transforming the way people live with nature.

A large part of it is bringing nature back through conservation, but spreading awareness and educating is making a big impact as well.

One of the ways we do this is through engaging storytelling on social media—creating educational content that resonates with our audiences, often laced with a bit of cheeky humour.

Check out these stories, tips and tricks for bird lovers, and see what Zealandia is up to on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook .

Congratulations to the other finalists and best of luck for the 4 September awards night!

🌲❗ SANCTUARY CLOSURE ❗🌲

We're closing the Zealandia valley from 23 July while we work to remove some of the ageing pine trees.

📆 23-25 July: no access to the valley, shuttles cancelled, but Rātā Café and the Visitor Centre are open. Zealandia By Night tours will NOT be affected as the work will be completed by 5pm each day.

📆 26-30 July: partial closure of lower Union Mine track and Lake Road between the toilet block and Tūī Terrace. You will be able to use Te Māhanga to bypass the closure, but unfortunately, mobility scooters and wheelchairs won’t be able to go past the closure.

Find out more at https://www.visitzealandia.com/Whats-On/ArtMID/1150/ArticleID/581/Sanctuary-Closure-23-25th-July and look out for updates on our socials 👀

The pines have played an important role in providing large trees for our manu, and with their removal, they will continue to play a role in this ecosystem.

We have been trialling veteranisation techniques to provide habitat for different species and have seen promising results.

🤔 Want to learn more about this project? Come along to our Conservation Kōrero on Wednesday 24 July.

Many thanks for your co-operation and patience as we undertake this important restoration work 💚

📸 credit: Scott Langdale Photography

The dawn chorus in Wellington is great, but the dawn chorus in the middle of Zealandia is better!

Imagine being the first and only visitors before the valley opens 😍

To catch this magical start of a new day, a knowledgeable guide will take you into the sanctuary at 6:30am for a peaceful three-hour walk.

A tea break in the valley and a breakfast + hot drink after the walk are all included in your ticket!

The Dawn Walks run every Saturday until 26 August, so don't miss out on them this year.

All proceeds contribute to the ongoing work of our sanctuary to restore nature 💚

Book at https://www.visitzealandia.com/dawn

Photo credit: Melissa F.T and Katie Whiting

We’re looking for an experienced and creative Events and Visitor Experience Advisor to join the Marketing and Communications Team at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne!

You’ll be a champion for storytelling through events, public programming, and visitor engagement activities throughout the sanctuary.

This is a fixed-term position at 32 hours/week for 8 months.

Find out the kind of person we're after at https://zealandia.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/Events_and_Visitor_Experience_Advisor-1087072 and apply before 11 August!

Photo credit: Alan Peck

Wellington is one of the only places in the world where wildlife is returning, and it shows.

The locals are now used to seeing native birds around town or in their own backyard, making the world a little envious.

The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC News, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, MSN, and even Leonardo DiCaprio have covered the collective mahi to bring nature back.

“It is also part of what brings people to Wellington. It attracts high-value tourists and a wider range of talent for businesses,” says Myfanwy Hill, Greater Wellington manager, environment operations.

The 'halo effect' Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne Ecosanctuary has on the region's biodiversity would not be possible without the local communities making the environment safe for manu/birds.

So what's the next step for Predator Free Wellington?

Return of Wellington wildlife draws international plaudits Efforts to eradicate predators in the capital have landed on the front page of the New York Times, as well as spots on BBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg and The Guardian.

Do you find yourself talking like your friends after a while, or borrowing words from them from time to time?

It turns out titipounamu/rifleman do too!

Scientists used to think there are birds who can learn and mimic new sounds and those who cannot, but it could be more of a spectrum.

This way, Aotearoa’s smallest bird can learn to copy other birds' chittering a little bit.

NZ's smallest bird may be a 'missing link' in the evolution of birdsong Scientists used to think birds were split into two groups: those that learn or imitate sounds, and those that can't. But a tiny wren from Aotearoa New Zealand bridges the two.

This is one of the only remaining inanga/whitebait spawning habitat in Pōneke.

The inanga restoration project is just one part of our 100-year initiative to heal the mouri of the Kaiwharawhara Catchment. The initiative itself is part of Zealandia's wider 500-year vision to restore a Wellington valley’s ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state.

The inanga eggs develop in vegetation along the streambank, but there isn't enough natural habitat for them here.

Working alongside mana whenua, Department of Conservation, Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington, Woods Waste, and Mountains to Sea Wellington, we planted 150 native grasses and trees to create a welcome space for the inanga and bring the stream back to life.

We'd like to thank the amazing volunteers and local businesses who have joined us on this journey to make our ambitions into reality 💚

Look how tiny this frog is! 🐸

Unique to Aotearoa, pepeketua/Hamilton's frog is one of the most endangered frog species in the world!

They're so small and well camouflaged that you might not notice them while walking, especially on a Zealandia by Night tour.

So we are building an about 150-metre-long boardwalk along Te Māhanga track to protect the new habitat once the last of the captive population is released.

This means some of the track will be closed until August.

You'll be able to see them at night once the boardwalk is complete and the pepeketua are free to roam.

Photo credit: Hayley May

Zealandia is one of the finalists in this year's Wellington Gold Awards in the Green Gold and the Vibrant Gold categories!

Since 1999, the Wellington Gold Awards have celebrated excellence and enterprise of businesses in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

At around the same time, Zealandia put Wellington on a map for nature conservation with the world's first predator-exclusion fence and our ambitious 500-year vision.

As a global leader in conservation and restoration, we have pioneered many more things, such as reintroducing native species to the mainland, carrying out the world's largest introduced fish eradication, and currently undertaking a highly novel native fish reintroduction.

The result of our conservation success over the years is the wildlife and our work spilling beyond the fence, which has become a point of difference for our region.

For this, we'd like to thank our staff, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and members who can now see the impact of their support every day in their own backyards.

Zealandia does not compete, it collaborates and creates hope for a brighter future for our planet.

Keep your fingers crossed for us at the awards night!

Photo credit:
1 and 3. Scott Langdale
2. Manaaki Barrett

We are recruiting new volunteers!

Are you friendly, outgoing, and passionate about native wildlife? You might be the perfect Visitor Experience Volunteer or Boat Skipper!

We are looking for volunteers who are reliable, flexible and able to make a regular commitment for at least a six months (two half days/month for Visitor Experience Volunteers, or one full day/month for Skippers).

Visitor Experience Volunteers provide visitors with a warm welcome, deliver our programme of free mini talks, and offer assistance as required.

Skippers run the boat while sharing our stories with visitors during the journey.

To express your interest, fill out our questionnaire at https://zealandia.typeform.com/to/vLZemhfa

Applications close Monday 15 July.

Rātā Cafe has a special menu for Puanga Matariki ✨

Try a slice of the night sky with this blueberry cheesecake (it has a secret sparkly ingredient!)

If you're after something more savoury, try our non-traditional take on he te kōhua/boil up.

These and more limited edition creations are here until the end of July!