Our local communities Funds

Donations to the Maungatautari Sanctuary Nest Egg Fund support the long-term resourcing of the conservation work and infrastructure on the mountain near Cambridge.

Do you want to provide long-term ongoing support for the efforts to preserve the eco-systems and save endangered birds and other species on Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain?

This ‘Nest Egg’ fund, established by the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust, provides a steady reliable investment income stream for its crucial bio-diversity conservation efforts.

The Fund’s existence demonstrates the fenced sanctuary is there for the long term and that there is real rigour in the Trust’s financial planning.   

Specifically, the Fund’s investment income will be used to replace and update the mountain’s predator-proof fence and other key infrastructure assets in years to come.

The view from atop Maungatautari.

Aotearoa has, of course, many conservation projects, but Maungatautari is unique.

It is the only place where, on a really large scale, you can experience what mainland New Zealand looked and felt like before predators arrived. Two decades after the fence was built you can see an abundance on the forest floor and hear an amount of bird song that you won’t find anywhere else.

The Sanctuary Mountain project is saving old growth native forest for its own sake and so future generations can experience and learn from it.

Helen Hughes, the Chief Executive of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, says she is “no hippy”, but that she experiences a “super pure amazing force” on the mountain.

“You see people going in for the first time, having an ordinary day up to that point, and then when they come out you can see the transformation in them!

“There’s a life force you can feel when you’re up there. If you stand still enough you can feel a heartbeat.”

Donations to the fund add to its capital base, with the resulting annual investment income being split between grants back to the Trust and re-investment.

We’ll send you a donation receipt so you can claim your tax credit.

If you encounter any challenges when donating, please contact us.