Marine mammals, sea birds and seals are at risk of becoming tangled in or digesting the plastic rubbish that continues to flow down the Fox and Cook rivers after a landfill collapsed in a massive flood in March.
The vision is for Tamatea/Dusky Sound to be one of Earth’s most intact ecosystems, a source of endangered native species with which to repopulate conservation sites throughout New Zealand. Dusky Sound is a pioneer for island sanctuary projects, with many islands having had pest animals removed or reduced to low levels.
The St James Conservation Area, near the Lewis Pass, covers 78,000 hectares of South Island high country. Once a key route for Maori between the east and west coasts, the area was also one of New Zealand’s largest cattle and sheep stations until purchased by the Government in 2008 to protect its natural and cultural values and open it to the public for recreation and tourism.
For more than a decade, Mitre 10 supported the Takahe Recovery Programme.
Amongst other things, its funding improved breeding success and helped transfer birds to safe predator-free islands.
Projects supported by The Foundation with grants from Transpower include: yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) conservation; bringing native plant species back to Motuora Island in the Hauraki Gulf; and bringing Buff weka back to mainland New Zealand – the birds were translocated from Chatham Island to Mou Waho Island in Lake Wanaka.
This project enabled surveys to locate endangered alpine gecko.
The Foundation made a significant donation towards a chain link sculpture marking the entrance to Rakiura National Park. The sculpture symbolises the Maori tradition that Stewart Island/Rakiura is the anchor stone to Ma - ui's waka, the South Island.
This project focused on ecologically restoring Motuihe Island in the Hauraki Gulf, including reintroducing two endangered bird species.