More than $240,000 was raised in Queenstown on Saturday night, to support the translocation of kiwi pukupuku\u00a0(little spotted kiwi) to Fiordland.<\/p>\n
The RealNZ Conservation Ball \u2014\u00a0dubbed \u2018A Night for Nature\u2019 \u2014\u00a0this year raised a total of $240,675 on the night, the highest amount of\u00a0the company\u2019s gala events in its decade-long history.<\/p>\n
RealNZ announced the planned translocation, to\u00a0Ao-ata-te-p\u014d Cooper Island, in May \u2014\u00a0it\u2019s due to take place in 2028, following a decade of predator trapping led by the company under a community agreement with the Department of Conservation (Doc).<\/p>\n
While the island\u2019s proximity to the mainland means it can never be completely predator-free, sustained suppression of predator numbers, alongside a commitment to future management, has given Doc the confidence to approve a wildlife permit for the return of kiwi pukupuku to Fiordland for the first time in generations.<\/p>\n
MC\u2019d by Tamati Rimene-Sproat, the event opened with a mihi whakatau from Paulette Tamati-Elliffe \u2014\u00a0speakers included RealNZ director Mark Malpass,\u00a0Ng\u0101i Tahu Holdings chief executive Todd Moyle and\u00a0Doc director-general Peter Chrisp, while Conservation Minister Tama Potaka sent a video message.<\/p>\n
A fundraising auction was hosted by comedian Te Radar, and the Les Hutchins Conservation Foundation raffled a once-in-a-lifetime expedition cruise to New Zealand\u2019s remote Subantarctic Islands, thanks to Heritage Expeditions.<\/p>\n
Chrisp says he is grateful to RealNZ for hosting the \u201cfantastic event\u201d, noting nature is a cause people want to be part of.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis event shows what can happen when that energy is turned into action.\u201d<\/p>\n
RealNZ chief executive Dave Beeche says the fundraiser meant the company can start the next chapter for\u00a0kiwi pukupuku \u201cfrom a position of real strength\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it sits on top of a decade of hard, unglamorous work on the ground at Cooper Island.
\u201dThank you to everyone who gave so generously, and to our partners, sponsors, staff and volunteers who make this night what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The fundraising for\u00a0kiwi pukupuku is continuing \u2014\u00a0Beech says through RealNZ\u2019s \u2018Real Promise\u2019, the company is donating 1% of all online booking revenue to the project until the end of September, alongside staff-led fundraising events.
The company is also backing\u00a0kiwi pukupuku in this year\u2019s Bird of the Year competition, voting for which opens tomorrow.<\/p>\n
tracey.roxburgh@scene.co.nz<\/p>\n
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