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Stay up to date with the latest news from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari by subscribing to the Maunga Matters Newsletter.
4 August 2022
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has been identified as a safe and suitable habitat for the growing population of kākāpō. For the translocation to happen, Sanctuary Mountain will have to modify the existing predator-proof fence to prevent...
22 July 2022
Tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa) can be found growing as a canopy or sub canopy tree from the top of the North Island down to Kaikoura. Tawa fruit is the fourth largest of New Zealand’s endemic flora and is primarily eaten by kererū. Prompted by...
22 July 2022
The evening was amazing on many levels including: bringing our community together; securing the final funds required to begin the 47km fence modification; and raising the awareness of the Maunga and critically, the Kākāpō recovery programme. Over 390...
22 July 2022
Hochstetter’s frogs (Leiopelma hochstetteri) are one of four endemic frog species in New Zealand, with fragmented populations found in the North Island, and a conservation status of At Risk - Declining. Our native frogs are somewhat more cryptic...
22 July 2022
Although the weather report promised there would be showers, free entry to the Southern Enclosure for locals on 25th June to celebrate Matariki, attracted 623 visitors. The Manu Tioriori Visitor Centre at the end of Tari Road was humming with art and...
20 June 2022
A new biodiversity market was launched today with the first transaction of biodiversity units between Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (the seller) and Profile Group Limited (the buyer). The mainland ecological island is now able to raise funds for...
1 June 2022
In the first week of the school holidays, the education team hosted 36 students and 11 adults from BLAKE Inspire. Students were guided in small groups to experience both Te Tūī a Tāne (southern enclosure) and the Tautari Wetland area, asking...
1 June 2022
Since 2020 researcher Margaret Dickinson from the University of Waikato has been visiting Maungatauari and Mangakawa regularly to survey large fruited tree species in lowland growth forest with the aim of answering the question “Do rats and possums...
1 June 2022
Recently we have offered a dusk tour of the Tautari wetlands. On Saturday Sue Reid and Liz Schollum guided seven visitors, two children, and five adults. Sue went down to the wetlands first, to see where the takahē were, while Liz told the...
1 June 2022
We had an awesome day at the Ngati Korokii Kahukura Hauora Day, working together and interacting with members of the public from Cambridge and the wider community promoting the value of being a volunteer at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, our most...
21 April 2022
In April, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari hosted a Teacher Professional Development Day focussing on conservation education and wellbeing – learning IN the environment. This professional development day was created and delivered in collaboration...
11 April 2022
We are very pleased and proud to announce that Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is the recent recipient of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Social & Environmental Sustainability Business Award. As always, winning these awards are the...
11 April 2022
The Wellbeing Celebration was an intimate but wonderful event with a turnout of almost 100 people - not too bad at the peak of a pandemic. The sun shone and the manu made delightful appearances. Feedback on the sessions has been great and we had a good...
11 April 2022
Lizard survey techniques employ the use of tree covers to allow hiding places for geckos that are easy to access. Tree covers (along with ground covers and monitoring tunnels) allow for repeated surveys in the same location as an estimate of local...
31 March 2022
It will come as no surprise to those who frequent Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (SMM), that it's now proven through a measurement framework conducted by experts, that visiting SMM improves your wellbeing. Experts in social impact measurement Huber...
31 March 2022
The Maungatautari kiwi mahi is ramping up greatly as we move closer to the prime season for capturing kiwi. This year we are anticipating we will capture up to 60 kiwi to send to Tongariro national park to help bolster their North Island brown kiwi...
2 March 2022
After moving to Cambridge from Warkworth in 2015, I was asked by a friend if I was interested in doing volunteer work at Maungatautari with a great group of people known as the Gofa team. My wife, Judi, and I had done a lot of recreational bird...
2 March 2022
Hi, I’m Oliver Lewis and I was recently based at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari for my university project placement for my thesis (University of Otago). I was tasked with surveying the newly introduced riflemen (titipounamu), and working out the...
1 March 2022
It has been great to support schools to visit Maungatautari in single class-sized visits as the new school year has started. Sanctuary Mountain would also love to bring conservation to your classroom through a virtual online learning session. It's...
1 February 2022
From the Chief Executive Officer by Phil Lyons Kia ora koutou, Things are moving at pace here at the maunga. With kākāpō, the new Education Centre, wellbeing programmes, and returning international travellers all imminent in 2022, we have a...
1 February 2022
Forest pathologist Dr. Ian Hood (Scion) has been volunteering his precious retirement time to study the wood colonising fungi of Maungatautari. His research started in February 2021 and involves five sites spanning an area of 1.3 km in and adjacent to Te...
1 February 2022
Titipounamu juvenile, photo credit Deborah Smith Whilst Covid lockdowns managed to interfere with multiple surveys going ahead at the end of 2021, we were, fortunately, able to proceed with titipounamu research over the summer, with the help of Otago...
1 February 2022
Unfortunately, this year the takahē have not had any success with their nests. The Cooper’s pair successfully hatched one egg, with a chick heard on camera, but days later a rain and flooding event is suspected to have caused either drowning...
9 January 2022
We greeted 2022 with some fantastic news that the northern enclosure, at the top of Hicks Road, was reopening to the public from January 1st 2022. This is after almost 4 years of closure, but with the help and support of local council,...
23 December 2021
Earlier this month, the team hosted a morning tea to celebrate the White Heron award which was given virtually at our Annual General Meeting (AGM). Normally this award is given in-person during the AGM but due to covid, we decided to hold the event...
1 December 2021
A special presentation speech given at our AGM Kootuku Rerenga Tahi – White Heron Award. By Don Scarlet MNZM. Co-Chair, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari | Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust Before I announce the recipient of this award, I...
1 December 2021
Last month, our four new Ranger recruits start their mahi at Maungatautari. As part of the Jobs for Nature programme, supported by the Department of Conservation, our new Rangers will contribute greatly to the project and the future of Sanctuary...1 December 2021
Truly blown away! We'd like to thank The Tool Shed and all of our partners and supporters for supplying over 20K worth of tools for our Rangers, Biosecurity and Operations teams. Less than 24 hours after taking home the NZ Tourism award for...
1 December 2021
We want to say thank you to all of our supporters and we are very thankful for being the recipients of the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust - Community Engagement Award for 2021. We were amongst great company and are extremely proud of the work we...
1 September 2021
In the past few weeks, I have been sketching up a plan to achieve an annual kiwi muster for our translocations that will take place in the not too distant future. We are brainstorming what tools and resources we will require to undertake as we are still...1 September 2021
From the Chief Executive Officer by Phil Lyons Kia ora Koutou He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata Here at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, we often refer to those inspired Kaitiaki who have gone before us. These...1 September 2021
Recently a short ‘cheque‘ handover ceremony was held at the Visitor Centre in the midst of the Covid 19 Level 2 restrictions. Waikato Pesticides Awareness (WaiPAC) had recently wound up because the work it was established to do had been...
1 September 2021
The newest species to join our menagerie of forest species at Maungatautari is the mighty but tiny North Island titipounamu (rifleman) Acanthisitta chloris. Eighty of these insectivorous birds were released in May and June of 2021. Since...
1 August 2021
Since the March 2021 when we first wrote about the project to produce a beautiful book telling the story of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari over the past twenty years, our group has been meeting regularly. A “treasure trove” of resources has...
1 August 2021
by Dr Janelle Ward I recently attended the annual Hihi Recovery Group meeting – this year held at the delightful Raumati Beach with views to Kapiti Island. These recovery group meetings are on the smaller side, involving 15-20 delegates from...
1 July 2021
Throughout this year, we’ve partnered with Toi Ohomai to host a cadetship for their environmental studies students to participate in. Our Sanctuary Mountain Rangers accompany these cadets around the sanctuary to partake in varying projects to...
1 July 2021
This has been the busiest release season the maunga has ever seen. A total of 111 kiwi have been released since October 2020 bringing the total kohanga cohort to 239 new founders since October 2018. Fortunately, my role with the kiwi has...
10 June 2021
Kia ora Koutou, On Sunday 30th May, we held our annual volunteer appreciation day. This was a celebration of our volunteers and their wonderful contribution to the maunga. Our stories ranged from 1998 to the present day,...
10 June 2021
Hochstetter’s frogs (Leiopelma hochstetteri) were first discovered at Maungatautari in 2004 and to date we are the only fenced Ecosanctuary to contain this rare and declining species. Since 2009 the team at Ecoquest has been conducting a...
11 May 2021
As many Maunga Matters readers will know, much of the work conducted at SMM is guided by a biosecurity plan. The purpose of this plan is to outline the processes used to safeguard translocated indigenous species and to protect the sanctuary against...
11 May 2021
With the Autumn rain and humidity, the abundance of fungi has started to show and several rangers and visitors have seen some amazing mushrooms and other fungi over the past couple of months. If you have an interest in fungi, the best way to help...
3 February 2021
by Craig Montgomerie The five year project to release 500 new founding kiwi to the already bustling Maungatautari kiwi population has hit top gear this season. At the time of writing this we have released 54 kiwi since 16th of October 2020...
3 February 2021
We are super pleased to announce the hatching of two takahē chicks in December this season – one chick each to new couples Hemi and Nancy (Wetland) and Pirie and Puiaki (Cooper’s). The Cooper’s chick hatched in the first few days of...
22 December 2020
Fifty tuatara were released to Maungatautari in two locations in 2012, with 20 released to the Tuatarium in the Tautari Wetland. Initially our permit required tuatara be surveyed annually, after which the survey effort can be reduced to every five years...
18 December 2020
This month the final lizard monitoring stations were set up at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, with 80 permanent survey stations installed in two main blocks within the 63ha mouse-free Southern Enclosure. Each station consists of two stacked Artificial...13 November 2020
The Department of Conservation Kiwibank Conservation Dogs programme is holding its annual training week at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Many of the Kiwi Bank Conservation Dog handlers are in remote areas and do not often have the opportunity for...
6 November 2020
By Janelle Ward, Species Coordinator Sanctuary Mountain’s five takahē juveniles were safely captured, checked and sent to Burwood Bush rearing facility in mid-August in a very successful but time pressured capture event –all chicks...
18 August 2020
By Adrian Cookson, AgResearch in Palmerston North. I’m a Microbiologist and am very interested in analysing the Escherichia coli bacteria as indicators of faecal contamination in waterways. My previous work in collaboration with Massey...
19 June 2020
A new partnership between Hamilton based Convex and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is being celebrated with Convex planting 100 kowhai trees around the Tari Road Visitor Centre on Friday, 3 July. Around 20 team members from Convex will be heading to...
5 June 2020
By Janelle Ward, Species Co-ordinator Insects rarely receive the same amount of attention as our more charismatic species such as kiwi or hihi. However, the rare and endangered species of New Zealand include many interesting insects. As part of our...
4 May 2020
The magic of mushrooms Autumn is the best time to fossick for fungi and appreciate the magic of mushrooms! Our ranger Craig recently took this amazing shot of a North Island robin next to a beautiful fungus that popped up in the northern enclosure....
3 April 2020
It was the biggest day of the year for our takahe families on the 12th March, when all of them were captured for annual health checks and chick banding and vaccination. Thankfully, all four babies have been growing well and are now starting to look...
3 March 2020
By Janelle Ward, Species Coordinator Despite the very dry weather, we have active and thriving species here at Maungatautari this summer. Takahe – With the recent weather, the grass growth has slowed right down which impacts the feed...
31 January 2020
By Rosie Cahalane I've now been guiding for two years and it is such a joy to introduce visiting groups to the maunga. It has helped me to truly appreciate the uniqueness of our environment and wildlife while at the same time meeting lots of...
31 January 2020
Our charismatic birds such as kaka, takahe and kokako often gain a lot of the attention, but what about all the other precious species at the maunga? Native fish including giant and banded kokopu were reintroduced in 2007, Hochstetter’s frogs have...
2 December 2019
By Graham Parker Nganeko’s Pou is a memorial to Nganeko Tawhai, who was the sole owner of Maungatautari 4GIV block in the 1800s. She was the wife of Mahuta Potatau Tawhiao, third king of the Waikato-Tainui iwi. This block formed the gateway...2 December 2019
By Neil Smith Back in 2007 I started volunteering on the maunga by carrying out the monthly close-up inspections of the part of the perimeter fence on the boundary of the Andree-Wiltens farm. Soon after that I joined Rod’s gofer team and...
2 December 2019
By Peter Lee-Johnson, Programme Officer, Katikati Tramping Group (KKTC) When Jessica Meade approached me regarding our club spending a day at Sanctuary Mountain helping staff with track clearing, a notice to club members produced an enthusiastic...
2 December 2019
My name is Ruth and for the past 10 years I have been a volunteer Visitor Host at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. I would like to share with you some thoughts about this wonderful safe haven. The predator proof fence enclosing such a large...
2 December 2019
By Dr Janelle Ward, Species Co-ordinator In my spare time over the past six months, I have been tackling our Maungatautari kiwi database to get it up to date and accurate. It’s amazing how easy it is for there to be errors in a...
5 November 2019
Carpark build starts at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Construction on the new visitor carpark begins at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s this Thursday, 7th November. We are very excited about this new development, but there will be some...
31 October 2019
There are two types of ecosanctuaries; those which are fenced, such as our Maunga, and those which are not, but which rely on bait stations to provide a level of protection to enable native and endemic species to breed. I have been involved with...
31 October 2019
By Russell Ingram-Seal – invertebrate enthusiast, amateur photographer and kiwi conservation volunteer. In July I was lucky enough to be given permission to explore Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari to look at invertebrates in the evenings and...
18 September 2019
Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust (MEIT) co-chair Poto Davies believes strong relationships create trust and can build understanding across communities. She has contributed as a committee member and now as co-chair for MEIT over the past six years,...
13 September 2019
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and food brand Mother Earth have partnered up for a sponsorship targeted at education programmes at the wildlife sanctuary. The sponsorship will go towards improving the education programme that Sanctuary...
21 June 2019
Welcoming the light: Meditation on the Maunga to mark the winter solstice @ Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari with Elizabeth Day and Willa Thaniya Reid Friday 21st June 10am to 4pm 2019 As the light returns to...29 April 2019
A position has opened in the Sanctuary Mountain Team! We are looking for a Ranger (Operations and Pest Surveillance). In the Pest Surveillance Team, you will work to ensure effective pest surveillance procedures, monitoring, pest incursion...
23 March 2019
The Cambridge Autumn Festival is coming up and they are holding a play called Kokako's Song as a fundraiser for Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Date: Saturday, 23 March Time: 11am and 2pm Location: St Andrew's Church...
2 March 2019
Mark your calendars now as this is going to be a special day for the whole family - we've got a lot of exciting things lined up throughout the day such as games, musical performances, meet and greets, and art competitions! There is NO COST to...
21 February 2019
The story of Tāne-mahuta, god of the forest and birds, separating his parents, Rangi-nui and Papatūānuku is a reminder that we are all related – the land, the weather, trees, insects, reptiles, fish, birds...
14 February 2019
We're very excited to share with you this one-off special event for Valentine's Day. A fun, informative, entertaining guided tour with an 'adults only' twist that explores courtship styles of Aotearoa's (NZ's) biological...
7 February 2019
We are very excited to bring you this unique way to experience Maungatautari - focusing on mindful and meditative body movements, the "Forest Flow Experience" is our late night special event on 7th February. Forest Flow Experience incorporates...
2 February 2019
World Wetlands Day Special - Tautari Wetland Guided Tour This Saturday February 2nd is World Wetlands Day and the team at Sanctuary Mountain® Maungatautari are offering additional Wetland Tours at 50% off the normal retail price for this one day...
7 December 2018
We are delighted to share with you the kokako census on Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari conducted by Ian Flux during September and October 2018. According to the report: Nineteen (19) territorial pairs were confirmed. A further pair was...
12 November 2018
Last 12 November 2018, Sanctuary Mountain Chief Executive Phil Lyons and Sanctuary Manager Geoff Churchill attended an awards gala evening for the Ministry for Primary Industries' New Zealand Biosecurity Awards. Sanctuary Mountain is a finalist...
26 October 2018
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari invites you to join us for this year’s Great Kiwi Morning Tea on Friday 26th October! Every biscuit baked and every slice of cake enjoyed to the last crumb will help us to protect kiwi. ...23 October 2018
From the Board of Trustees We would like to extend an invitation to our Annual General Meeting please see details below. MAUNGATAUTARI ECOLOGICAL ISLAND TRUST ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given that the Trust’s...
16 October 2018
We are holding a tracking card reading workshop for all volunteers and staff involved with pest monitoring, and other interested volunteers. The purpose of this workshop is twofold; · to...
29 September 2018
October is set to be a busy month at Manu Tiorori, with the first two weeks welcoming in the school holidays. We are running a Kids Go Free* promotion alongside great activities such as; Sanctuary Mountain activity sheets, mask making and Kiwi...
15 September 2018
Join us at the for some exciting activities during Conservation Week. Kids go free for conservation week (Sanctuary Explorer Pass (self-guided) only and limited to 2 children free of charge with every...
12 August 2018
MAUNGATAUTARI ECOLOGICAL ISLAND TRUST COMMUNITY TRUSTEE VACANCY Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust (MEIT) seeks expressions of interest from members of the community who have the appropriate skills and interest to become a...
11 August 2018
We built a jungle and we would love you to come celebrate with us at our opening event from 1pm - 3pm! The Jungle Within is a participatory art installation and a community arts project that focuses on the things we would like to see growing within...
7 August 2018
We welcome you all to attend a presentation by the Takahe Recovery Group It will be held on Tuesday 7th August, at 10:30am, in the Manu Tioriori Visitor centre, 99 Tari Road. Come along and learn how this taonga species is doing at Sanctuary...
20 July 2018
This chance does not come up often. On Friday 20th July get up close and personal with a New Zealand icon during a kiwi health check here at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. During this special encounter, you will get to know all about the Western North...
17 June 2018
This week we celebrate: National Volunteer Week 2018 (17 – 23 June 2018) A huge thank you goes out to ALL our wonderful volunteers (from individuals, families, local businesses and corporate teams) who give up their time on a daily basis to...
12 June 2018
We have enticing deals during the influx of visitors to the Waikato region for Fieldays this year. Book any one of our regular guided day tours online and enter the promotion code Fieldays18 to receive a 10% discount, valid for tours booked from 12-17...
13 May 2018
Mother's Go Free this Mother's Day. Treat your mum to a special day out with a walk through the southern enclosure at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Finish off with a complimentary tea or coffee for mothers at the . Make memories together...
11 February 2018
Would you like tobe more active and get connected with nature? Sanctuary Mountain in conjunction with Sport Waikato are offering a discount for Green Prescription clients to access the southern enclosure. If this sounds like you, ask your GP or...
9 January 2018
To celebrate World Wetlands Day we will be running additional discounted tours all weekend! Please click on the below link to...
14 November 2017
Waikato’s Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is leading the way in sustainable tourism, with the news that it has recently achieved a Qualmark Silver Award under the new Sustainable Tourism Business criteria. A Qualmark award provides...
29 October 2017
Sanctuary Mountain has achieved a Qualmark Silver Award for our tourism business under the new Sustainable Tourism Business criteria. Qualmark has broadened the scope of its evaluation criteria to recognise those businesses that are focused on protecting...
1 August 2017
Changes planned for Trust that governs Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Changes are afoot to help the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, which governs Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, to operate more efficiently and...
30 April 2017
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari announced as national stronghold for western brown kiwi Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari has been announced as the national stronghold for western brown kiwi, which will see up to 500 new kiwi introduced to...
31 March 2017
New radio mast to be installed on Maungatautari summit Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is installing a new radio mast at the mountain’s summit that is set to improve communication and health and safety for its workers and...If you have any questions about Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari or would like to get in touch, please contact us:
PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
99 Tari Road, Pukeatua, 3880, New Zealand
POSTAL ADDRESS:
PO Box 476, Cambridge 3450, New Zealand
P: +64 7 870 5180
E: info@sanctuarymountain.co.nz
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