Zealandia
Zealandia is a predator-exclusion ecosanctuary and visitor attraction in Wellington that restores native New Zealand biodiversity within an urban setting.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Zealandia, formally Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, is a 225-hectare protected natural area and wildlife sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand. It is operated as a conservation, research, education and tourism organisation rather than as a conventional commercial consumer brand. The sanctuary occupies a former water-catchment area between Wrights Hill and Polhill and is widely associated with the development of the mainland-island conservation model: a large area of mainland habitat enclosed by a predator-proof fence and managed to reduce the impact of introduced mammals. The site’s ecological purpose reflects a central problem in New Zealand conservation. Native plants and animals evolved for millions of years with few terrestrial mammalian predators, but the introduction of species such as rats, stoats, possums, cats and other mammals severely altered native ecosystems. Zealandia’s 8.6-kilometre fence was completed in 1999. Its fine mesh, curved upper section and buried foundation were designed to exclude mammals ranging from deer to mice. After construction, introduced mammals inside the enclosure were removed over approximately nine months. Continued monitoring addresses occasional incursions and the difficulty of completely excluding house mice. The sanctuary’s landscape has a long history of human modification. Fires associated with European settlement cleared much of the original broadleaf forest for farming during the nineteenth century. Gold and quartz mining also took place in the wider Karori area before the valley became part of Wellington’s water-supply system. The upper reservoir was completed in 1908, after which the protected catchment began to regenerate. The reservoirs were later retired, creating the basis for the sanctuary project. The idea of establishing a wildlife sanctuary was advanced in the early 1990s by Jim Lynch and developed through the Natural Wellington project, feasibility work and public consultation involving Wellington’s regional and city authorities. The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust was formed in 1995. Following the completion of the fence and eradication programme, the sanctuary began reintroducing native species and restoring forest, wetland and freshwater habitats. The land was transferred from Greater Wellington Regional Council to Wellington City Council in 2004. Zealandia combines habitat restoration with public access. Its visitor centre opened in 2010, and the organisation offers daytime visits, guided walks, night tours and dawn-chorus experiences. The sanctuary is particularly known for opportunities to see or hear species such as tūī, kākā and little spotted kiwi. It also supports scientific research, environmental education, volunteer conservation work and citizen-science projects. More than 500 volunteers have been associated with its operations, and memberships form one of its revenue streams alongside visitor income and public support. The sanctuary has released or supported populations of many native species, including takahē, North Island kākā, saddleback, stitchbird, rifleman, tuatara, Hamilton’s frog, giant wētā, spotted skink and freshwater mussels. It has also influenced conservation practice beyond Wellington by demonstrating how predator-proof fencing, ecological monitoring and long-term community participation can be combined on mainland sites. In 2023, Zealandia received the Supreme Tourism Award at the New Zealand Tourism Awards and an Airbnb Tourism Excellence Award for small and medium-sized businesses. Its positioning is therefore built around conservation credibility, place-based Māori and New Zealand storytelling, participatory tourism and the promise of encountering recovering native ecosystems close to a major city.
History
The area now occupied by Zealandia was originally covered largely by broadleaf forest. European settlement brought extensive fires in the 1850s and 1860s, followed by farming and extractive activity. A small gold rush took place after alluvial gold was found in the Kaiwharawhara stream in 1869. Quartz mining followed, but poor returns and the completion of local water infrastructure brought the mining period to an end. Farming continued in parts of the catchment until Wellington authorities acquired the remaining land for water-supply purposes in 1906. The upper reservoir, held by a concrete gravity-arch dam, was completed in 1908. Because the valley became a protected catchment, vegetation was able to regenerate, although introduced trees were also planted. The upper reservoir ceased to function as a reservoir around 1991 and the lower reservoir followed in 1997. This created an unusually large, self-contained area of regenerating habitat within an urban region. In the early 1990s, Jim Lynch promoted the idea of turning the catchment into a wildlife sanctuary. The Natural Wellington project identified the site as suitable for a mainland-island restoration programme. Feasibility work was undertaken in 1993, followed by public consultation in 1994. The proposal received approval and the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust was established in 1995. The organisation later used the names Karori Reservoir Wildlife Sanctuary Trust and Karori Sanctuary Trust. The defining infrastructure was the predator-exclusion fence. Completed in 1999, the approximately 8.6-kilometre barrier was engineered to prevent terrestrial mammals from entering or leaving, including animals as small as mice. Its design combined small mesh, a curved overhang and an underground footing. After the fence was finished, mammalian pests within the enclosure were removed over roughly nine months. Monitoring has continued because storm damage, construction defects and other events can create opportunities for incursions. House mice have been particularly difficult to exclude completely, while occasional rat and mustelid breaches have been detected through surveillance systems. The sanctuary began a programme of native species reintroductions and ecological restoration from 2000 onward. Releases included little spotted kiwi, brown teal, North Island robin, saddleback, kākā, kererū, red-fronted parakeet, stitchbird, whitehead, tuatara and other native species. Later projects added rifleman, giant wētā, Hamilton’s frog, spotted skink and freshwater mussels. Forest restoration has focused on rebuilding plant communities and re-establishing species that are rare or absent in the recovering valley, including large podocarps and northern rātā. The land was transferred from Greater Wellington Regional Council to Wellington City Council in 2004. A new visitor centre, designed by Jasmax, opened in 2010 at a reported construction cost of NZ$17 million. Around this period the public identity shifted from Karori Wildlife Sanctuary toward Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, using a name that highlights the sanctuary’s broader ecological and cultural mission. The visitor centre also helped establish the site as a major Wellington attraction. The Karori Sanctuary Trust became a council-controlled organisation of Wellington City Council in October 2016 and receives an annual operating grant from the council. Zealandia remains community-led and charitable, with paid staff working alongside a large volunteer base. Its activities now span conservation management, visitor experiences, environmental interpretation, education, research and citizen science. Studies have included bird and insect monitoring, stitchbird research and a moth project involving volunteers, Te Papa and iNaturalist. The sanctuary’s influence extends beyond its boundary: its mainland-island model has helped inspire predator-proof restoration projects elsewhere in New Zealand. In 2023, its conservation-tourism model was recognised with the Supreme Tourism Award at the New Zealand Tourism Awards.
- 2023
Supreme Tourism Award received
[1]Zealandia won the Supreme Tourism Award at the New Zealand Tourism Awards.
- 2016
Trust becomes a council-controlled organisation
[1]The Karori Sanctuary Trust became a council-controlled organisation of Wellington City Council.
- 2010
Visitor centre opens
[1]The Jasmax-designed visitor centre opened, strengthening Zealandia’s public education and tourism role.
- 2004
Land transferred to Wellington City Council
[1]Ownership of the sanctuary land moved from Greater Wellington Regional Council to Wellington City Council.
- 2000
Native species reintroductions begin
[1]The sanctuary began a sustained programme of releasing and establishing native birds and other wildlife.
- 1999
Predator-exclusion fence completed
[1]The 8.6-kilometre fence created the core protected boundary for the restoration programme.
- 1995
Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust established
[1]The trust was formed to implement the proposed wildlife sanctuary.
- 1993
Sanctuary feasibility study conducted
[1]Wellington regional and city councils examined the feasibility of creating a large urban mainland-island sanctuary.
- 1908
Upper reservoir completed
[1]Completion of the upper dam placed the valley within a protected municipal water catchment.
- 1906
Catchment land is acquired for Wellington’s water supply
[1]The remaining catchment was purchased for waterworks, helping protect the valley and allowing forest regeneration.
Products and positioning
A conservation-led urban tourism and ecological restoration destination that gives visitors access to recovering native New Zealand ecosystems while demonstrating mainland-island conservation methods.
Visitor attraction
Sanctuary admission
Admission provides access to Zealandia’s protected forest, wetlands, reservoir areas, interpretation facilities and wildlife-viewing paths. The experience is designed around conservation learning and the possibility of encountering recovering native species within a predator-managed urban ecosystem.
Tourism experience
Guided tours
Zealandia offers guided experiences led by staff and volunteers. Day tours interpret the sanctuary’s ecology and restoration work, while specialist formats such as dawn tours focus on native bird calls and night tours provide opportunities to look for nocturnal wildlife, including kiwi.
Supporter programme
Memberships
Memberships support Zealandia’s conservation and education work while encouraging repeat visits and community participation. They form one of the organisation’s income streams and connect supporters with the sanctuary’s long-term restoration mission.
Environmental services
Conservation and research programmes
The organisation manages predator monitoring, habitat restoration, species reintroductions, ecological research, environmental education and citizen-science activity. These programmes are central to the brand because visitor experiences are presented as part of an ongoing conservation project rather than as entertainment separate from ecological work.
Brand decisions
2021
Reduce lower-reservoir water level to address European perchOtherBackground
Introduced European perch were affecting native fish and associated with algal problems in the lower reservoir.
Action taken
The water level was lowered by approximately six metres to support an eradication effort.
Aftermath
The intervention formed part of Zealandia’s continuing aquatic-ecosystem management and invasive-species control work.
2010
Expand the public visitor and interpretation platformStrategyBackground
The sanctuary needed a stronger public-facing facility to support education, tourism and interpretation of its restoration work.
Action taken
A new Jasmax-designed visitor centre was opened and the public identity was developed around Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne.
Aftermath
Zealandia became a more prominent Wellington tourism destination while retaining conservation and research as core functions.
Visitor centre construction cost. NZ$17 million (2010)
1999
Adopt a predator-exclusion mainland-island modelStrategyBackground
Introduced mammals had severely altered New Zealand ecosystems, while the former water catchment offered a large, enclosed urban habitat suitable for restoration.
Action taken
Zealandia built a specialised perimeter fence and removed mammalian pests from inside the enclosure, combining exclusion with ongoing monitoring.
Aftermath
The project became a prominent example of mainland ecological restoration and influenced similar predator-proof sanctuary projects elsewhere in New Zealand.
Recent events
- 2023
Zealandia wins Supreme Tourism Award[1]
Other
Zealandia received the Supreme Tourism Award at the New Zealand Tourism Awards and also won the Airbnb Tourism Excellence Award for small to medium-sized businesses.
- 2021
Lower reservoir reduced to address introduced perch[1]
Other
The lower reservoir water level was reduced by approximately six metres as part of an effort to eradicate introduced European perch, which were affecting native fish and contributing to algal problems.
Sources2 sources
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