Mnu MNU
About Us

The Fence

The fence means that all native and endangered species re-introduced to Maungatautari can live freely in a haven, abundant with their favourite foods and designed to protect them from predators. Subsequently there is now an abundance of certain species that has caused a "halo effect" to surrounding areas of Maungatautari, with many locals reporting an increase in sightings of native species in their backyards.

The creation of a mainland ecological island required completely enclosing the perimeter of our 3,400-hectare mountain with a 47 km Xcluder pest-proof fence. The fence around Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is one of the longest pest-proof fences in the world, measuring an enormous 47km long. This fence excludes all mammalian pests (other than mice on the main mountain), pets and livestock from getting over, under or through it. Since the completion of the fence in 2006, many pests have been eradicated, including hedgehogs, cats, Norway rats, ship rats, stoats, ferrets, weasels, rabbits, hares, possums, deer, pigs and goats.

Successfully fencing around a mountain had some unique challenges and required innovative solutions to ensure that the finished product met our stringent quality control standards. The fence runs through some extremely steep terrain, crosses 42 streams, and provides access via pest-proof access gates to adjoining landowners. It has specially designed water gates allowing for the movement of water and freshwater wildlife, including fish tunnels to allow large fish to move freely past the gates.

Fence Facts

The fence includes more than 850,000 staples, 50,000 battens, 8,500 three metre posts and 240km of high tensile wire.

An electronic surveillance system operates 24 hours per day to detect fence breaches. Our staff are on-call 24/7 365 days a year to attend to these breaches.

Everytime the alarm sounds on the fence, our operations staff have a 90 minute window to act upon the breach.