Wainui eco-sanctuary, a potential kākāpō paradise, needs millions
Plans for a kākāpō paradise in the hills behind Wainuiomata are proceeding, but the future of the sanctuary rests in the balance. The issue is funding.
If funding could be found, “it would be a biodiversity asset with national significance”, Greater Wellington Regional councillor Thomas Nash, chairman of the council’s climate committee, said in a meeting on the sanctuary yesterday.
The Wainuiomata Mainland Island Sanctuary, proposed by the regional council, would encompass 3310 hectares of native bush behind the suburb of Wainuiomata. Once fenced, it would create a home that would be ideal for kākāpō, thanks to a rare abundance of mature rimu trees, along with hihi (stitchbird) and rowi kiwi.
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