Keep up to date!
Stay tuned for the latest Kiwi news and information on our upcoming competitions!
Ngā mihi nui to everyone helping keep the Sanctuary predator-free and flourishing. This is exactly what restoring nature looks like.ry after the May translocation.
Since May, we’ve been quietly hopeful for this moment. Kiwi pukupuku typically lay eggs between July and January, with an incubation period of around 65 to 75 days (and it’s the males who do the incubating).
Now, we know they’re breeding and thriving here.
As ecologist Robert Schadewinkel said:
“We know they’re breeding, we know they’re happy, we know they’ve found a new home and they’re loving it.”
Ngā mihi nui to everyone helping keep the Sanctuary predator free and flourishing. This is exactly what restoring nature looks like.
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #Whakatū #TeTauihu #kiwipukupuku #littleSpottedKiwi #predatorfree #conservation #natureiscomingback #NelsonNZ
Dec 27
A Christmas gift in the Sanctuary: our first kiwi pukupuku chick 🪶
Just over six months after kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) were reintroduced to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, we can confirm what we’d all been hoping for: breeding has begun, and the first chick has hatched.
Ecologist Robert Schadewinkel:
“It was an absolutely delightful, joyful moment. I couldn’t hope for anything better than that just before Christmas.”
This is a huge milestone for Whakatū Nelson, and a proud moment for everyone who has backed this mahi, from our volunteers and staff to our wider community.
Predator-free sanctuaries work, and this tiny newcomer is proof.
Read the full news article: Link in bio
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #Whakatū #TeTauihu #kiwipukupuku #littleSpottedKiwi #predatorfree #conservation #biodiversity #NelsonNZ
Dec 25
Need to walk off the Christmas pudding and all the trimmings? 🎄🥾
If you’re in Nelson for the holidays, come visit the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary — we’re open Boxing Day, 27 and 28 December. It’s the perfect place to stretch your legs and unwind in our native forest.
Closed Christmas Day and Monday 29 December (the sanctuary is closed every Monday throughout the summer).
Dec 24
🌿 Ngahere Neighbourhood: tātarāmoa (bush lawyer)
Ever found yourself caught in the bush—literally? Chances are you’ve met tātarāmoa, the native bush lawyer (Rubus cissoides).
This hardy climber uses hooked prickles to grip and scramble its way up trees, sometimes reaching more than 10 metres high. Those same hooks can make for an unpleasant surprise to anyone brushing past—but they’re also what help tātarāmoa thrive in the dense ngahere.
In spring, clusters of small white flowers appear, followed by bright red berries from December through April—food for birds, and once a sweet treat for Māori, who also used parts of the plant for medicine and even dye.
A true survivor, tātarāmoa grows across Aotearoa, from lowland forest to wetland edge. Next time you’re walking the tracks at the Sanctuary, look for its toothed leaves and trailing vines weaving their way through the understorey. Just don’t grab on for balance!
📸 Photography by Rebecca Bowater
🔎 Species: Rubus cissoides
🟢 Conservation status: Not Threatened
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #NativePlants #Conservation #NewZealandNature
Dec 22
Spring Photography Competition Winner ☀️📸
Our spring photography competition winner is Helen Power, with this brilliant shot of a kakaruai (South Island robin), with a delicious insect snack in its beak.
A huge thank you to everyone who entered. We received 30 photos from 12 photographers, and loved seeing the Sanctuary through your lenses.
Prize pack for Helen includes:
🎟 A family ticket to a guided night tour
📰 A feature in our newsletter and on social media
🖼 A printed and displayed photo at the Visitor Centre (coming in the New Year)
Ngā mihi nui as well to Nelson City Framers for producing a beautiful print to be awarded to Helen.
👉 Now it’s your turn: Summer Photography Competition entries are open.
Get out on the tracks, look for those sunny ngahere moments, and start snapping — we can’t wait to see what you capture.
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #Whakatū #NelsonNZ #toutouwai #southislandrobin #naturephotography #springinthenativeforest #summerinthenativeforest #conservation
Dec 17
Ngā mihi nui to our Volunteer BBQ supporters 💚
A big thank you to the generous local businesses who helped us put on a well-earned BBQ for our volunteer whānau. Your support helps us celebrate the people who give their time to protect and restore the ngahere at the Sanctuary.
Special thanks to:
• Booster Wine Group
• @hecksmallgoods
• Pestell’s Rai Bacon Company
• @chiasisters
• @@musselinngoldenbay
To our volunteers: thank you for the mahi you do, week in and week out. We’re so grateful to have you in our community.
If your business would like to support our volunteers or conservation work, we’d love to hear from you.
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #VolunteerBBQ #Whakatū #NelsonNZ #TeTauIhu #CommunitySupport #ConservationVolunteers
Dec 17
