Nature / Sustainable Tourism

New Zealand communities work hard to clean up the environment

New Zealanders have always been proud of their hands-on attitude and willingness to help out. Regardless of what the job is, Kiwis pride themselves on getting "stuck in" when there’s work to be done. It is this mindset which has helped rejuvenate Tiritiri Matangi from a conservationist’s nightmare, to an island sanctuary of nature.

120 years of farming saw the island of Tiritiri Matangi, located 30km north east of Auckland, stripped of 94% of its native flora and fauna. But thanks to the efforts of a group of dedicated volunteers, this island is now an open sanctuary of nature with 60% of the island re-forested and the other 40% deliberately left as grassland.

The story began in 1984 when the Department of Conservation (DOC) and a group of volunteers began planting native trees on the island in an effort to restore the island to its former glory, as well as to potentially repopulate the island with endangered native wild life.

Ten years later and the island is blossoming with native trees and repopulated native wildlife. The island is supported by a community of volunteers, called the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc, formed from the throngs of volunteers who have worked on restoring the island to its former state.

The Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi have three main objectives:

To promote and enhance the open sanctuary at Tiritiri Matangi and to ensure the continuation of the project.
To provide financial, material and physical support for the work on Tiritiri Matangi.
To heighten public awareness of the existence and role of Tiritiri Matangi as an open sanctuary.

The efforts of this group have resulted in Tiritiri Matangi Island being pest free and a safe breeding ground for many of New Zealand’s endangered bird species including, the takahe, kokako, whitehead, little spotted kiwi, stichbird and the brown teal.

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