This year, through the WWF-New Zealand Community Conservation Fund in partnership with the Tindall Foundation, we are proud to support the Tucker Beach Wildlife Trust restoration project.
The Trust is restoring the biodiversity of the Tucker Beach Wildlife Reserve – around the Lower Shotover (Kimiākau) area - by protecting native plants with weed and predator control, encouraging the return of native birds to the Wakatipu Basin, and creating an open, green conservation space for the local community to enjoy.
Over the past six years, the 150-hectare area has been brought back to life, becoming a vital refuge for native plants, lizards, and endangered migratory birds such as the banded dotterel, black-fronted tern, black-billed gull, and South Island Pied Oystercatcher.
Off-road cycleways provide local commuters with a peaceful alternative to busy roads while also helping reduce vehicle emissions.
“We are stepping in to meet an intrinsic need at a time when urban development is encroaching on conservation areas,” says Trust Chair, Rosemary Barnett.
As part of its mission, the Trust partners with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to educate locals and visitors about kaitiakitanga of the Nohoanga area within the reserve to help protect its cultural heritage.
Support from WWF-New Zealand Community Conservation Fund has contributed to critical work like weed, pest and predator control.
Weed control along the braided river beaches has kept key nesting areas clear, creating safe, open gravel beds for banded dotterels to return and nest. These small but resilient shorebirds have already been heard feeding at dusk on a terrace cleared of invasive lupins and buddleia and the team hopes this area may soon host new nests this season.
Cleared weed-free areas are also providing new breeding grounds for other endangered species, with black-fronted terns and black-billed gulls establishing colonies in the gravel beds. As spring weather and river levels fluctuate, maintaining several clean nesting sites gives these at-risk birds a better chance to thrive.
Nearly 20,000 native plants have been protected through hand-weeding and mulching. Volunteers also added another 635 new plants to strengthen the ecosystem.
A new rabbit control programme has also been a focus recently with a contractor bringing in trained dogs to help find active burrows across more than 40ha of the reserve. These burrows were then mapped via GPS co-ordinates for treatment. Follow-up monitoring using night-vision thermal cameras revealed rabbit numbers have dropped significantly - a big win for protecting young plants and new growth in this thriving green community space for Queenstown.
The WWF-New Zealand Community Conservation Fund is open for applications once a year. The 2025 round has now closed.