A new inland sanctuary, 15 times bigger than Zealandia, around Wainuiomata. This is being proposed by Jim Lynch, who was the architect and visionary behind Zealandia and visited our Club last week. David Barnes reports
This proposal would build on the success of Zealandia, which began being developed in the 1990s. Jim explained that in 1990, the idea of urban conservation took off. Previously, conservation was focused on National Parks and islands but not on inland areas. At that time, Wellington's state of environment was a "cot case", with declining species and little central or local government investment in conservation.
This changed dramatically with the establishment of Zealandia and its perimeter fence. The sanctuary was developed by fencing the area off, creating a nursery zone, a halo zone and then expanding out.
Zealandia has played a unique role in restoring species and providing an indigenous experience for Wellingtonians and visitors. The sanctuary has an important education role in bringing people closer to nature and being able to learn about conservation issues.
Jim's vision is to create a 3300 hectare inland sanctuary around Wainuiomata called Puketahā. Not only is this area available, its valleys and contours make it ideal for an efficient perimeter fence. This area is original forest and suitable for transferring endangered species such as hihi, kākāpō and kōkako so they can breed and grow in numbers.
Jim envisions governments, iwi and Welington community groups coming together and getting behind Puketahā.