Wellington Zoo Local Conservation Grants

Saving Wellington and the Chatham Islands’ Wildlife and Wild Places

Conservation is at the heart of everything we do at Wellington Zoo. Thanks to the support of our community and Zoo visitors that contribute to the Wellington Zoo Partners in Conservation Fund, we offer local conservation grants each year. These grants provide funding for projects or programmes with clear community conservation value for native wildlife and wild places. We support projects in our wider community and invite applications from the Greater Wellington Region and the Chatham Islands (part of our local Rongotai electorate).

Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $5,000 and most grants will be between $1,500 - $3,000. Applications for 2023/2024 have now closed, and applications for the following year will open in August 2024. 

Thank you to our community and Zoo visitors that make Wellington Zoo Local Conservation Grants possible.

Local Conservation Grant Recipients 2022/23

Addressing the conservation conundrum of the Sooty shearwater on Kāpiti Island (Etienne Ossona de Mendez, PhD student University of Auckland) 

To investigate weka predation of tītī on Kāpiti island as part of a PhD project, to inform conservation management. The funding will be used to pay for stable isotope diet analysis and flights/accommodation for the student while undertaking the study.

GPS tracking of the Chatham Island Tāiko (Johannes Chambon, PhD student University of Otago) 

To pay for flights and accommodation to/from Chatham Islands for a PhD pilot study on GPS use on Chatham Islands tāiko. This is supported by the Chatham Islands Tāiko Trust who we have supported through Local Conservation Grants two years in a row, as well as through a staff conservation grant.

Love Rimurimu (Mountains to Sea Trust Wellington) 

This will fund kura students to grow giant kelp at kura and then plant them along Wellington coastline to support kelp forest restoration.

Predator Free Paekakariki (Predator Free Paekakariki)

To purchase DOC150 traps for a predator control community group in Paekakariki, to expand their trapping efforts throughout the community and protect local wildlife.

He Kākano: Nursery security system (Pae Tū Mōkai ō Tauira Incorporated Society) 

We supported Pae Tū Mōkai ō Tauira in our previous funding round, and were very impressed with their work growing plants for local restoration efforts. This year’s funding is to purchase a replacement for their laptop which was sadly stolen.