About us - Sanctuaries of New Zealand

Sanctuaries of NZ Inc

Sanctuaries of New Zealand Inc. (SONZI) is an incorporated society. It’s purposes are to:

Advocate for the sanctuaries movement in New Zealand, and develop support from other national organisations with related aims
Facilitate communication, capacity building and the sharing of ideas and research between sanctuaries participating in the network
Promote and enhance economic support for the sanctuary movement in New Zealand

Our history

Sanctuaries of NZ began in 2004, with a meeting of ecosanctuary practitioners from across New Zealand, organised by Dr Bruce Burns and John Innes of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research (MWLR). This informal network of biodiversity sanctuaries grew, with annual workshop meetings becoming mini conferences held at sites around the country. These workshops continue to bring together the latest science and grass roots practitioners.

What is an ecosanctuary?

Ecosanctuaries are diverse in many ways, but share common goals and approaches in their efforts to restore New Zealand’s special biodiversity. While there are many possible definitions for a sanctuary, the definition forged by Sanctuaries of New Zealand (published in 2019) includes projects that:

Are larger than 25 ha
Implement multi-species, pest mammal control for ecosystem recovery objectives
Have substantial local community involvement

Each project is an experiment to restore a New Zealand ecosystem to a state dominated by diverse and abundant native species and their interactions, and not dominated by introduced predators or competitors (e.g., stoats, ship rats, brushtail possums, feral goats or deer). While each is unique, they often have approaches and issues in common, such as:

The use of pest fences
Ongoing intensive management of introduced pests
Reintroduction of missing species including many rare and endangered species
Using geographically isolated areas such as near-shore islands or peninsulas
Managing a permanent and substantial risk of reinvasion by pests
Monitoring changes and reporting success
Economic and social sustainability

SONZI

In 2014, the Sanctuaries of New Zealand Incorporated Society (SONZI) was formed. Independent from MWLR, SONZI continues the work of Sanctuaries of New Zealand to bring together the science and practice of the evolving ecosanctuaries movement, and to advocate for ecosanctuaries and their support. Although independent, SONZI and MWLR continue to work together on our shared objectives to promote the biodiversity sanctuaries of New Zealand. The current society constitution was adopted at the 2024 SONZI AGM and can be read here.

SONZI Committee

The elected members of the SONZI committee represent sanctuaries, research agencies, and other groups with interest in promoting sanctuaries in New Zealand.