MEDIA RELEASE
A unique collaboration between Garage Project, Yakima Chief Hops and a group of like-minded industry partners is turning great beer into direct conservation action, with $2 from every can sold of a limited-edition beer donated to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
The beer, Bush Bash, has been created to support the sanctuary's work protecting and restoring 3,363 hectares of ancient native forest and the more than 730 native species that reside within it.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Chief Executive Helen Hughes says the collaboration demonstrates the power of businesses and communities coming together behind a shared purpose.
“We're incredibly grateful to Garage Project, Yakima Chief Hops and the wider group of partners who have come together to support Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. What makes this collaboration so special is that it reflects a shared belief that nature matters and that protecting it is a responsibility we all share."
“Every day, we work to protect and care for the world's largest fenced eco-sanctuary, and to have others recognise the importance of that mahi and get behind it is both humbling and deeply encouraging. We're particularly moved that this support comes not only from here in New Zealand, but also from people and businesses halfway across the globe.”
“Just as importantly, this initiative gives the wider public an opportunity to get behind conservation in a tangible way. Every can sold and every pint poured helps support our critical work. While the benefits are felt here on the maunga, the impact reaches much further through the sanctuary's contribution to national species recovery programmes, conservation research, and the protection of some of Aotearoa's most treasured native wildlife. It shows what's possible when businesses, communities and individuals unite behind a shared purpose,” she says.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a safe haven for some of New Zealand's most unique and endangered wildlife such as 3,000 kiwi, two families of takahē and the only mainland population of kākāpō. Since kiwi were first reintroduced to Maungatautari in 2005, the sanctuary has become one of the country’s more important strongholds for North Island brown kiwi.
Today, the population plays a vital role in supporting kiwi recovery efforts nationwide, helping establish new populations across the country.
“Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is one of New Zealand’s greatest conservation success stories, at a time when those feel rare,” says Pete Gillespie, Garage Project’s founder. “At GP, we believe not only that beer can taste great, but that it can also be used as a force for good. Maungatautari’s work is helping some of our most endangered wildlife not only survive, but thrive. That’s something everyone can get behind - and our wonderful partners in this project already have! You can too. What could be better than drinking a great tasting beer? The answer is knowing that at the same time you’re supporting an incredible conservation effort!”
Bush Bash is a 6% bright IPA made by Garage Project at their brewery in Wellington’s Aro Valley. Yakima Chief Hops donated premium hops from their hop farms in Washington, USA, and other partners followed suit - Froth Technologies donated yeast, Gladfield Malt donated Canterbury-grown grain, and Recorp NZ donated the cans to put it all in.
The name Bush Bash honours Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari's ranger team and volunteers, whose tireless round-the-clock work protects the 3,363 hectares of ancient native forest. From maintaining the sanctuary's 47-kilometre predator-proof fence to responding to pest detections and caring for some of the country’s most precious wildlife, the team's passion and dedication are fundamental to the sanctuary’s success.
Levi Wyatt, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Yakima Chief Hops, says, “At its core, conservation is about allowing ecosystems to remain healthy and resilient to sustain life over time. That idea is deeply connected to how we think about our role in agriculture at Yakima Chief Hops. We’re not separate from the natural systems we rely on, we’re part of them. Healthy soils, clean water, biodiversity, and functioning ecosystems are fundamental to the long-term health of our farms and the communities around them.”
“That perspective is what connects us to the work of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Their efforts to restore and protect biodiversity and native wildlife are rooted in the same fundamental idea: that healthy ecosystems are worth protecting, and that we have a responsibility to be thoughtful stewards of the natural world we depend on. New Zealand’s native ecosystems are unique and internationally significant, and while Maungatautari and our hop farms are worlds apart, the principles that connect them are remarkably similar,” he says.
“For us, this collaboration is about connecting those dots between conservation and agriculture, between New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest, and between the beer in our hands and the landscapes that make it possible. Bringing these stories together creates an opportunity to build awareness around conservation and remind people that protecting the natural world is something we all have a role in,” he says.
Bush Bash will be available in cans and on tap at good beer outlets nationwide from Tuesday 20 October.