3 February 2021
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 compared to 29 we had released...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...27 October 2020
Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust Board Community Trustee Vacancy Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (SMM) is New Zealand’s most ambitious and inspirational ecological restoration project. Maungatautari Ecological Island...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...8 May 2020
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari's visitor centre, Manu Tioriori, will reopen on Wednesday, 20 May. If one of the main things you have missed from the New Zealand Covid-19 lockdowns has been getting amongst nature – at...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....4 May 2020
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari will re-open the Manu Tioriori Visitor Centre when New Zealand moves to Alert Level 2. From this date, the Southern Enclosure Explorer Passes can be purchased online or directly at the Visitor Centre, located at 99 Tari...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...21 March 2020
IMPORTANT NOTICE: With the announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on 21 March 2020 about COVID-19 alert systems and advice on minimising our movement around the country, we have made the difficult decision to close Manu Tioriori our visitor...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
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...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...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 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...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...5 November 2019
Carpark build starts at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Construction on the new visitor carpark begins at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s visitor centre this Thursday, 7th November. We are very excited about this new development, but...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
Winter Wanderings 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...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 visitor centre 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 visitor centre. Make...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...