When you sit quietly within Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, the forest begins to speak. The undergrowth rustles, the kōkako call, and kererū drop onto tawa branches. You’ll also hear the steady call of a kiwi, claiming its place in the night.
This is a maunga (mountain) that remembers Aotearoa New Zealand as it once was: alive, loud, thriving, singing. And today, it’s finding its voice again because our community chose to protect it.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari sits within a 47-kilometre predator-proof fence and is one of the most ambitious conservation projects in the world. It hugs the contours of an ancient volcano, a safe haven where over 730 native species, such as kiwi, kākāpō, takahē, wētāpunga, tuatara, and other taonga, can live without the constant threat of stoats, possums, rats, ferrets, or cats.
The fence represents more than just engineering; it signifies a dedication to restoring what has been lost, safeguarding what remains, and ensuring future generations inherit and experience a thriving natural environment rather than just memories.
Kākaāpō, Kiwi, and comeback stories that define us
Imagine walking along a sun-dappled track, and hearing something you’d expect only on remote islands: the low, resonant boom of a kākāpō. Three kākāpō now live within the 3,363 hectare sanctuary, the only place on the mainland of New Zealand.
Kiwi are thriving on the maunga, too. With a resident population of 3,000, the sanctuary is a stronghold for the Western North Island Brown species. The long term vision is to breed more kiwi, release juveniles outside the sanctuary and fill the Waipā district’s green corridors with kiwi call.
More than that, Maungatautari is home to many other species hanging on by the thinnest of threads. The survival of critically endangered birds, reptiles, and insects would be impossible without places like this.
Every fence check, every trap, every biosecurity alert answered at 3 am by a dedicated ranger team is for them.
Guardians of the maunga
Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Raukawa, Ngāti Hauā and Waikato Tainui have cared for Maungatautari for centuries, and that role continues today. Their ancestral relationships and whakapapa are central to the identity of the maunga.
Today, iwi leadership remains at the heart of the sanctuary. The kaupapa of kaitiakitanga guides decisions, partnerships, and aspirations. It reminds everyone that conservation is more than science. It’s cultural, spiritual, and intergenerational.
Visitors to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari often say they come for the wildlife, but leave with a deep sense of connection to the place itself.
A place where people make the difference
Sanctuary Mountain thrives because of locals, volunteers, staff, schools, families, and businesses who choose to get involved.
Staff and volunteers walk traplines, maintain the predator-proof fence, guide visitors, plant trees, count kiwi, and support species translocations. Community groups steward sections of the fence. School students become future kaitiaki (guardians).
Families bring visiting friends and relatives to explore. And others contribute through donations, memberships, sponsorships,
or nature credits.
It’s conservation, but it’s also community.
Get Involved
Visit the maunga (bring your binoculars)
Explore well maintained tracks through the Jurassic-like forest, join a guided eco or cultural tour, discover interactive displays, and climb the 16 metre canopy viewing tower for a bird’s eye view.
Every visit supports the sanctuary’s vital mahi (work), and every ticket helps species survive.
Annual advocates
Annual memberships are one of the simplest ways to support the sanctuary. Each membership helps fund fence maintenance, pest surveillance, species monitoring, education, research, and future translocations. Members become part of the sanctuary’s whānau, returning often, noticing changes, and seeing the impact of their support, and the barista coffee discount is a welcome bonus too.
Nature credits to fund the future
As global interest in nature-based solutions grows, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is leading the way nationally with the biodiversity credits programme, Nature Credits. Unlike carbon credits, which measure emissions reductions, Nature Credits recognise and reward real, measurable ecological gains: more birds, healthier forests, restored habitats.
By supporting biodiversity credits, businesses, philanthropists, and donors can invest directly in outcomes they can see, hear, and experience. It’s the next frontier of conservation funding, and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is perfectly positioned to show the world what it looks like when you invest in life, not just offsets.
1% for the planet
As part of the 1% for the Planet network, the sanctuary is connected to thousands of businesses worldwide that commit at least one per cent of their annual revenue to environmental causes.
When companies choose Sanctuary Mountain as their partner, they’re standing behind a project that produces measurable ecological results, uplifts iwi leadership, enhances community wellbeing, and inspires visitors from around the world.
Donations equal legacy
If you’ve ever wondered whether donations actually make a difference, come stand within the sanctuary. The forest is louder today because people believe in it. Your support helps create a legacy your mokopuna (grandchildren) will be proud of.
Visit sanctuarymountain.co.nz
