Over $250k raised for conservation
One of New Zealand’s rarest manu has renewed hope in its fight against extinction after Saturday night’s annual RealNZ Conservation Ball
A whopping $169,395 was raised at the event at Walter Peak's Colonel’s Homestead, and over $250,000 total since mid-July.
The Pukunui Southern NZ dotterel’s numbers have dwindled to approximately 105 birds, with only 30 breeding pairs remaining. The birds are heavily predated in their breeding sites high on the Tin Range Mountain tops of Rakiura Stewart Island, and the fight for their survival is at breaking point.
The glitz and glamour event was opened on Queenstown’s O’Regan Wharf with kapa haka by Queenstown Primary School before guests were transported to Walter Peak. An impassioned mihi whakatau by Ngāi Tahu’s Jana Davis set the intention for the evening.
Highlights of the event included MC and former DOC Director General Lou Sanson’s expertise about the history of conservation in Aotearoa, comedian Te Radar entertaining with stories of New Zealand’s cook-book history, and a Q+A with the Rakiura DOC team about the plight of the Pukunui and the impact of their work on the birds’ survival.
The live auction was led by Te Radar, with standout prizes including two weeks supporting kākāpō breeding season on Whenua Hou, and one of two original propellers from the 113 year-old TSS Earnslaw.
Ball attendees included Conservation Minister Tama Potaka, Todd Moyle, CEO of Ngāi Tahu Holdings, MP for Southland Joseph Mooney, QLDC Mayor Glyn Lewers, and Sia Aston, Deputy Director-General, Public Affairs for the Department of Conservation.
“This event shows what can be achieved when we work together,” Aston says. “When generous New Zealanders show how much they care, when businesses like RealNZ show genuine leadership and invest in nature, and our dedicated, expert teams deliver the work on the ground.”
“This money will go directly into helping bring the Pukunui back from the brink.”
RealNZ have gone all in to support the Pukunui since July, committing 1% of all online booking revenue to the manu’s recovery project until the end of September.
Alongside this commitment, staff fundraising events, fundraising at the 2025 Fiordland Classic golf tournament, and the Conservation Ball, the total funds raised for the Pukunui already exceed $250,000. The RealNZ team have also put their weight behind the Pukunui in this year's Bird of the Year race.
“It is extremely heartening to see all corners of our community step up to help protect this precious taonga; from all the organisations who donated auction prizes for the ball, to our partners and the wider Queenstown business community who attended and supported so generously, to staff-led initiatives like the website 1% project and quiz nights in Queenstown, Te Anau and Wānaka,” says RealNZ CEO, Dave Beeche.
“Our purpose at RealNZ is to help the world fall in love with conservation, and this effort to help save the Pukunui is that purpose in action.”
Find out more about RealNZ’s conservation projects on at realnz.com.
