E Kīngi Tūheitia, okioki rā hei whetu, tūramarama
i te kauwhanganui, i te kauwhanga roa o te ariki,
haere, haere, haere atu raa
E te kuini, Ngāwai hono i te pō
E taku arikinui, me karamihi atu ki tōu nohonga
i runga i te ahurewa tapu a ō tūpuna, hei
Kuini Māori, hei kuini o Aotearoa, rirerire hau, Paimarire
Kīngi Tūheitia ki te rangi
Ngāwai hono i te pō i te whenua
Tīhei Mauriora!
Leadership Report
Wow, what a year it has been! With a transition of CEOs, there has emerged a renewed direction and a clear vision of being internationally recognised and nationally cherished within the next five years.
From the beginning, the vision for Maungatautari is to protect the 3,363 hectares of fenced sanctuary from predators, to allow nature to flourish, and to re-establish the unique ecosystem on the mountain. The mahi that the Operations team carries out daily continues to achieve what our maverick founders aspired to. The recent success of the Predator Free 2050 programme, winning the hearts and minds of New Zealanders, has allowed us to reflect on the incredible outcomes we have achieved, far surpassing the goals of Predator Free 2050 for the last 10+ years and achieving biodiversity outcomes that most conservation projects can only dream of.
Located in the heart of the mighty Waikato, our ancient forest harbours a national conservation programme with some 15 rare and endangered taonga animal species and many, many more plant species. To protect our thriving ecosystem, we invest in a robust exoskeleton that combines volunteers (including our board), iwi, partners, donors, funders, sponsors, science/conservation experts, paid staff and domestic and international visitors. Without these groups contributing to the maunga, we would not be able to achieve what we do at the scale we do.
The last few years have been massive! We've navigated Covid-19 times and built our Manu Korokii Profile Group Education Centre, which now hosts almost 5,000 students annually. We have completed a million-dollar fence treatment that allowed us to welcome critically endangered kākāpō, the first time they have been located on mainland Aotearoa in over 40 years. This mahi has provided the opportunity to build an incredible working relationship with the DOC Kākāpō Recovery Group and Ngāi Tahu. At the same time, our partnership with Save the Kiwi has realised our collective vision of translocating kiwi from the maunga to other communities across the motu, with 222 manu leaving this year, the largest in the history of New Zealand.
Our tourism business has continued to grow, with over 20,000 visitors this year getting to experience what prehistoric New Zealand was like. These visitors are a critical part of our exoskeleton, generating revenue that directly funds the operational side of the business.
We have started a social outreach programme and are beginning to connect with organisations that are actively working to improve the lives of New Zealanders. Our goal is to provide access to the maunga and make it a place of human restoration through mahi, meditation, and connection to nature.
Among the great outcomes being achieved, we, like many other not-for-profits nationwide, have faced critical funding shortages. We did not come through Covid-19 unscathed, with the tourism business being significantly impacted and the economic downturn resulting in less funding being available from philanthropic and gaming organisations. The cost of living crisis has impacted the number of private donors, changes in government reduced the availability of funding programmes, the closure of Jobs for Nature and inflation has impacted our cost of operations. The transition of three CEOs in two years has resulted in a reduction in proactively chasing funding, and it's clear that our commercial ecosystem has been under immense pressure.
Waikato Regional Council and Waipa District Council continue to be inspirational and invaluable supporters of Sanctuary Mountain® Maungatautari, as do over 200 wonderful volunteers who contributed almost 15,000 hours this year. Trust Waikato, DV Bryant Trust, Len Reynolds Trust, Grassroots Trust, Rodmor Trust, and Wel Energy Trust, to name a few, have stood beside us, leaning into our funding challenges when we most need them.
We have bold plans and are focussing on achieving revenue through five funding pillars over the coming years: tourism, education, science and research, donations, and biodiversity credits.
While we are working on actively transitioning the business model, we are seeking long-term sponsors who align with our values and can work alongside us over the next 3-5 years to showcase our world-class conservation and social outreach programmes.
The future is incredibly bright, we know that it won't always go to plan, and believe that by focussing on achieving our five funding pillars and continuing to strengthen our commercial eco-system, we know that we have the resilience, tenacity and ability to continue to deliver for New Zealanders and the world.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Helen Hughes Tai Urungi | Chief Executive
Don Scarlet Co-Chair, Norma Taute Co-Chair
