Our local communities Funds

Invest in the future of bio-diversity in Aotearoa, by donating to the Maungatautari Sanctuary Nest Egg Fund and its long-term resourcing of conservation work and infrastructure on this predator-free mountain near Cambridge.

Maungatautari is unique. It is the only place where you can experience on a large scale what mainland New Zealand looked and felt like before predators arrived, when birds ruled the land alone.

Two decades after its 47km pest-proof fence was first put up, you can see an abundance of plant life on the forest floor and hear a volume of bird song that you won’t find anywhere else. Its areas of untouched ancient forest are as they have been for thousands of years.

Some 730 species of native flora, fauna and fungi live in this haven, many of which are endangered, including takahē, tuatara, and Hochstetter's frog. With over 3000 kiwi in residence, it is a base for the largest translocation programme of NZ’s national bird. The mating boom of the very rare kākāpō was heard here in 2025, the first time on the mainland in over a century.

The view from atop Maungatautari.

The Sanctuary is visited for study by conservation experts from around the world and hosts educational activities for students of all ages. Local and international eco-tourists visit seeking a feeling of peace and an emotional connection to nature.

Maungatautari is sacred to mana whenua, so the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust co-governs the maunga with three local iwi, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Hauā and Raukawa. Community engagement and social outreach are essential to the success of its conservation efforts.

The Maungatautari enclosure has been initiated with the aim of it still being there in a thousand years and beyond, and yet the Sanctuary currently survives on relatively short-term funding commitments. It’s 3400 hectares are maintained by just six employed rangers, supported by about a dozen-or-so other full and part-time staff and a volunteer workforce of around 170.

The Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust achieves a lot through innovation and sheer determination, but while its maverick mindset continues, true sustainability for the Sanctuary Mountain requires secure long-term funding streams.

A donation to the Maungatautari Sanctuary Nest Egg Fund adds to its perpetual support for this conservation hot spot, creating your personal legacy to the future of bio-diversity in Aotearoa and on the planet.