Potential ka¯ka¯po¯ home needs millions

Plans for a ka¯ka¯po¯ paradise in the hills above the Hutt Valley are proceeding apace, but the future of the sanctuary rests in the balance. The issue: funding.

If funding could be found, ‘‘it would be a biodiversity asset with national significance’’, Greater Wellington Regional councillor Thomas Nash, chairman of the council’s climate committee, said at a meeting on the sanctuary yesterday.

The Wainuiomata Mainland Island Sanctuary, proposed by the regional council, would encompass 3310 hectares of native bush behind the suburb of Wainuiomata. Once fenced, it would create a home that would be ideal for ka¯ka¯po¯, thanks to a rare abundance of mature rimu trees, along with hihi (stitchbird) and rowi kiwi.

The council’s environment committee set up a working group in November last year to explore the idea of setting up the sanctuary, and commissioned Jim Lynch, the founder of Wellington’s Zealandia, to carry out a feasibility study.

Initial cost predictions for the project included $13m for fence construction, $2.5m for pest eradication, $1.5m for equipment, vehicles and buildings, and $7.5m for five years’ operational expenditure. Ongoing annual operational expenditure was estimated at around $1.5m.

Technical solutions were under way to make the river crossing predator-proof, and the fence itself designed to contain clever climbing ka¯ka¯po¯.

A cultural impact assessment had since been drafted by local iwi Taranaki Wha¯nui and now sits with the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust for approval.

The council had set aside $300,000 in annual funding for work in the sanctuary