Every year the Zoo invites its immediate neighbours, including Wellington City Council housing tenants, to visit the Zoo for free after hours.

Our annual Neighbours’ Night is a favourite event among many Zoo staff members as we get to welcome so many local community members who may not otherwise be able to afford to come to the Zoo.

Newtown is such a vibrant and diverse area of Wellington and we love hosting this evening event to support our local community. With the Zoo being open until 8pm, our neighbours were able to explore the Zoo after hours, experience special animal talks and enjoy a sausage sizzle. 

The Zoo put on special animal talks for visitors, including a penguin talk

This evening is about giving back to our community and putting on a great evening for our neighbours, so that they can come and learn about the animals that live in their community too. Every year we have neighbours come in wanting to know which animal makes the sounds that wake them up in the mornings! They can thank our resident White Cheeked Gibbons for the early wake-up call - they sing a unique duet most mornings.

Community members were treated to face painting, a free sausage sizzle and more

The evening was run with the help of Wellington City Council volunteers, Wellington Zoo staff, volunteers from the Zoo, New World Newtown, Trade Me, local Labour MP Paul Eagle and his team and Victoria University, who all donated their time to ensure the evening ran smoothly. Predator Free Newtown also set up a stall and gave away free humane predator traps to community members. 

Newtown Neighbours enjoying the evening

We couldn’t have asked for a better evening; the weather was great, our community really enjoyed themselves and left the Zoo with big smiles on their faces after cooling off with an ice-cream and a Just Juice, thanks to our friends at Tip Top and Frucor Suntory. As always, this event is a fantastic way to start the New Year.