Te Manahuna Aoraki - Te Manahuna Aoraki Project

Oha te ora hau – Breath stirs new life

Te Manahuna Aoraki Project is protecting the unique species and landscapes of Aotearoa New Zealand's highest mountains, dryland tussock grasslands and braided rivers

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Moehewa o ngā Tīpuna

Your breath tingles

He toīri tō hau

Ka wiri ka aho

He tuauri tēnei kākahu

He paoro te hau kai takata

A dream of the ancestors

The echo of the north-west wind

The strands quiver

This cloak is ancient

Oha te ora i tēnei whenua

Awakens life in this land

Everyone has
a part to play

By working together, we can ensure native animals, plants and people thrive together in this unique landscape for generations to come

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A nationally significant conservation project

With our partners, Te Manahuna Aoraki Project is protecting and revitalising a vast 310,000 hectare mainland island in the Upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki Mount Cook National Park so native animals and plants can thrive.

It is home to some of our most threatened plants and animals, sites of immense cultural significance to mana whenua, and iconic high country farmland.

Along the way, Te Manahuna Aoraki Project will inspire and empower others to ensure the transformations are preserved for future generations.

Be part of the journey.

HECTARE
PROJECT AREA

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PREDATORS
TRAPPED

INVASIVE WEEDS CONTROLLED

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KAKī HABITAT
PROTECTED

WHY HERE?

The project area is home to an outstanding range of threatened ecosystems and species found nowhere else in the world. We need to act now to ensure they are not lost forever.

OUR WORK

We’re getting rid of pests and weeds, building relationships, and developing innovative techniques to safeguard 310,000 hectares in a predator-free mainland island.

COLLABORATION

Manawhenua, land owners, government agencies, philanthropists and the community are all working together towards the common goal of revitalising Te Manahuna Aoraki Project area.

Discover more about our project

This interactive map shows the enormous scale of the project area and links to some of the work we are doing to restore and protect the Upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.

Click on the markers to find out more

Innovative and solutions focused

We need to think outside the square to eliminate introduced predators. We’ve spent time researching how high and far ten invasive mammals travel in the alpine areas.

Play Video about Nick Foster tracking small mammals

Play Video

Protecting rare and threatened species

The braided rivers of the project area are home to the world’s rarest wading bird – the kakī / black stilt. Brought back from the brink of extinction by DOC, less than 200 adult kakī can be found in the wild but we are working hard to safeguard them.

Keep up with the latest news

Te Manahuna Aoraki Project moves to next stage

June 15, 2022

We are delighted to announce that Te Manahuna Aoraki Project board has given the go-ahead for the project to continue. Since 2018, the project has been developing a plan for revitalising the unique eco-systems across the whole 310,000 hectare project

Rabbits now “hard to find” at Twin Stream

June 14, 2022

A rabbit control operation over nearly 1,600 ha at Twin Stream which includes Ruataniwha Conservation Park and parts of Glentanner Station looks to have successfully reduced rabbits to very low numbers. Rabbits munch their way through native vegetation and pasture

Helping the robust grasshopper leap to safety – Re:Wild

April 21, 2022

The Robust Grasshopper (Brachaspis robustus) is no stranger to leaps of faith. Every jump the chunky grasshopper takes ends in a thud on gravel in dry river beds of Te Manahuna (Mackenzie Basin) on New Zealand’s South Island, but luckily the invertebrates are built to withstand clumsy and rough landings.

and the Te Manahuna Aoraki Project have been working together to protect the small population of grasshoppers from invasive mammal predators and help their numbers recover.