Crowdfunding to help our national icon

Farmers who want to help kiwi recovery are being asked to dig deep and help fund much-needed vehicles to be used by Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (SMM).

Just 20 years ago, there were no kiwi on the maunga. The first kiwi arrived on the mountain in 2005 and today the thriving population is estimated to be close to 3000. The construction of the 47km pest- and predator-proof fence and the successful eradication of 14 pest and predator species created a kind of mainland island, meaning kiwi are not only thriving on the maunga, but are able to boost populations in other parts of the North Island.

The new side-by-side vehicles are needed to support the annual kiwi translocation programme, which Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari undertakes in partnership with mana whenua and Save the Kiwi. The programme transfers North Island brown kiwi to other protected locations around the North Island as part of the Save the Kiwi national repopulation strategy.

SMM Chief Executive Helen Hughes says the translocation programme contributes significantly to the species’ recovery. Last year, 222 kiwi were translocated, the largest number ever to be translocated in the world. “We’re making a difference for the New Zealand community and our national icon. It’s a maverick mindset that sees us breaking new ground.”

A key part of the translocation is the tono process, an iwi-to-iwi values-based conversation. “It’s a beautiful process and it happens with every species that gets moved around the country. It puts humanity at the heart of species’ wellbeing, and it’s something that is uniquely New Zealand.”

SMM is looking for two six-seater vehicles to ensure good health and safety outcomes. Rangers and volunteers are trained to operate them as the mountain is a “gnarly space” to navigate, Helen explains.

“Conservation dog teams go out at 7am to begin locating kiwi. Accredited kiwi handlers assist the conservation dog teams and work with them to bring kiwi to specially designed transport crates. As the conservation dogs continue to locate kiwi, those found earlier wait in their crates under the cool, quiet shade of the trees until enough are collected. All travel crates containing kiwi are then transported back together ready for their health checks.”

“We are blessed to have a bunch of landowners who are invested in what we do.” – Helen Hughes, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari

Having two vehicles allows two teams to simultaneously work on the maunga finding kiwi, making the process efficient, utilising the resource available, and enabling good health and safety protocols.

Local Pukeatua sheep and beef farmer Graeme Gleeson responded to a shout-out on social media by SMM for the loan of two side-by-side vehicles. A quick call around revealed most farmers use their vehicles daily, and loaning would prove difficult.

Graeme hit on the idea of crowdfunding to enable the trust to purchase its own vehicles, reckoning that farmers understand the value provided by SMM.

“I’m always keen to assist. I have been heavily involved with water and greenhouse gas issues, and farmers are now thinking about catchments in a very integrated sense. The mountains to the sea concept is very pertinent with freshwater ecology, and farmers have done a lot of work with things like riparian planting to improve freshwater quality. Over 24% of New Zealand’s indigenous bush is on private farmland, a high percentage of it in QEII covenant,” Graeme says.

“Maungatuatari started with farmers. Across New Zealand, the farming community is very much hands-on and protecting as best they can in the environmental space. We appreciate the value of Maungatautari being a sanctuary, and safe ecological corridors are important for birds with good flight. But kiwi are flightless, so we need to physically intervene to translocate them.”

Maungatautari – a jewel in the crown

SMM began with a dream to protect the plant and animal species living on Maungatautari, in the Waikato. Recognised as a reserve since 1912, 90 years later the community came together to restore and protect this precious environment, installing one of the largest pest-proof fences in the world.

Today, SMM is a world-leading conservation enterprise. The pest-proof fence is 47km long, enclosing 3363ha, and is protected by six rangers and a team of almost 200 dedicated volunteers.

Helen explains that ancient forests, like Maungatautari, are rare on the New Zealand mainland. “The success of what we have achieved is gifting New Zealand an understanding of what it looked like pre-humans. It’s as close as you can get, pre-human, on the mainland.”

SMM is not just about species welfare, it combines science, research, education (about 4000 students attend annually) and tourism, providing a unique blend of community outcomes, Helen says.

Farmers are a massive part of the Maungatautari story, playing a pivotal role in the establishment of the sanctuary. A group of visionary farmers, the likes of ‘the maverick’ David Wallace, the late Gordon Stephenson, Bill Garland, Gordon Blake, and former Waipa mayor, former Waikato Regional Council chair and current chair of the QEII National Trust, Alan Livingston, recognised the need to protect and preserve this special environment. “Our project founders are largely farmers,” SMM Board Co-chair Don Scarlet says.

Now, there are 22 landowners with pest-proof fence on their boundary, many of them farmers. The co-operation
and goodwill of these farmers is vital to ensuring the ongoing success of the sanctuary.

“Firstly, we wouldn’t be here without their support and help in putting the fence on their land. The farmers are critical to us. Bill Garland (on the cover of the Country-Wide Summer issue) is a wonderful example, he was there right at the beginning, he was part of the vision. Farmers are essential, fundamental to our journey.”

Helen echoes Don’s sentiment, saying both the creation of the sanctuary and its day-to-day operation could not happen without farming community around the maunga. “We are blessed to have a bunch of landowners who are invested in what we do. We can be out on their land at 2am if a tree falls through the fence causing a breach. We have a key performance indicator of 90 minutes to respond and put up a temporary fence. We then run intensive pest monitoring in that area for six weeks to make sure no pests have got in.”

The challenge

Like many not-for-profits, SMM has faced significant funding shortages in recent years. It has been hit by Covid-19, the economic downturn resulting in less funding being available from philanthropic and gaming organisations, the cost-of-living crisis impacting on private donors, inflation and changes in government reducing the availability of funding programmes. All these things have contributed to challenging times financially, which SMM is ‘laser focused’ on resolving. The passionate SMM team is committed to ensuring the maverick mindset and legacy of the mountain lives on, but they need help.

The kiwi translocation programme, helping reverse the decline of kiwi populations across the North Island, happens over and above SMM’s business-as-usual activity, and is therefore not directly funded. New ways of supporting this work must continue to be sought, Helen says.

This year SMM is offering visitors the opportunity to get up close to kiwi through paid tours. The revenue from these tours will cover about 20% of the overall cost, so efficiency and productivity are highly desired to ensure the translocation programme runs in the most fiscally prudent manner, which is where fit-for-purpose equipment is essential.

How can you get involved?

Farmers who want to be part of this next chapter in the history of SMM can donate to help fund two side-by-side vehicles that will be utilised to protect the kiwi, our national icon.

latest Update

On Saturday 22 February 2025, Minister of Conservation Hon. Tama Potaka announced a one-off funding injection of $750,000 over three years for the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust Sanctuary, stating, “I’m confident this funding will contribute to the sanctuary to continue their work with our precious species.”

Head to the Givealittle page to donate now.