2022 - 2023 Annual Report
We are very pleased to present our Annual Report for the year to 30 June 2023. It has been another year of outstanding achievements for our team of Inspired Kaitiaki at Sanctuary Mountain® Maungatautari.
We are very pleased to present our Annual Report for the year to 30 June 2023. It has been another year of outstanding achievements for our team of Inspired Kaitiaki at Sanctuary Mountain® Maungatautari, with some very exciting developments to report on. Last year, we expressed our optimism for stronger visitor numbers in 2023 as the challenges of COVID-19 began to ease.
We’ve certainly seen this come to fruition with visitor numbers totalling 15,452, our strongest visitor year since the beginning of the pandemic. In the year ahead, we expect to see international visitor numbers continue to recover alongside growth in our education and visitor programmes.
In February, Waipā Mayor Susan O’Regan officially opened Manu Korokii Profile Group Education Centre. At the opening ceremony, we were reminded of Sir David Attenborough’s words: “No one will protect what they don’t care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced”. Manu Korokii will help over 3,500 education visitors to experience our world-class project each year – fulfilling a core element of our purpose to “Share the mana and mauri of the maunga”.
Maungatautari’s kiwi population has continued to boom in recent years, and it gave the Trust and mana whenua Ngāti Koroki Kahukura much pride to commence the outbound translocation of North Island brown kiwi to other predator-controlled sites around New Zealand. It was particularly special to translocate the first of these manu to Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro, who contributed the first founder birds to Maungatautari in 2005. In total, we translocated 111 birds this year across sites in Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Tongariro. This mahi will continue in years to come, and along with mana whenua, partner Save the Kiwi, and receiving iwi across the North Island, we will be part of a programme that aims to eventually recover a thriving kiwi population across Te Ika a Maui.
A significant milestone in the recovery of the maunga was reached with the reintroduction of critically endangered kākāpō in July. At the time of writing, ten male kākāpō have been successfully released in the sanctuary in partnership with Ngāi Tahu, the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery programme and a broad community of supporters and contributors. This marks the first time kākāpō have lived on mainland New Zealand for close to 40 years – a significant step forward for the recovery of this Ngāi Tahu taonga species and Maungatautari.
Of course, these achievements continue to be underpinned by our outstanding team of Inspired Kaitiaki. Our very dedicated and passionate small team of staff and a large team of volunteers worked tirelessly this year to support a busy visitor season, recover from the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle, prepare for the arrival of kākāpō and commence the outbound translocation of kiwi.
We thank Andrew Peckham (Landowner Trustee) for his time in the dual role of Trustee and part-time CEO during 2023. Andrew and the Board have worked together to redefine our leadership arrangements, and we look forward to welcoming our new full-time General Manager, Helen Somerville, in October 2023.
We welcomed three new Trustees to our Board during the year – Kate Mauriohooho (Mana Whenua Trustee), Rosanne Matheson (Community Trustee) and Gavin Williamson (Community Trustee). We also acknowledged the contribution of retiring Trustee Mary Jensen and the passing of Nico Mouton (Landowner Trustee), who significantly contributed to Maungatautari as an advisor, friend, volunteer and Trustee over many years.
Finally, we acknowledge the ongoing support and partnership of our supporters, funders, visitors and neighbours. You’ve helped us to deliver another great year of achievements and continued the long-term journey to restore Maungatautari. We value and appreciate your partnership. Nou te rourou, naku te rourou ka ora ai te maunga – with your basket and our basket, the mountain will flourish.
Ngā manaakitanga
Don Scarlet, Co-Chair
Norma Taute, Co-Chair