MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 31 May 2006

Sanctuary’s newest supporter

Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is delighted to announce that Woolyarns Limited has come on board as its newest supporter. The Hutt-based company has pledged $5,000 a year towards conservation work at the wildlife safehaven, which was established in 1995 to restore 250ha of native bush in the heart of Wellington.

As well as producing a wide range of custom made speciality yarns for the apparel, hosiery, weaving, carpet and hand knitting markets, Woolyarns have developed a unique range of speciality yarns using possum fibres. It is this uniquely New Zealand product that has inspired Woolyarns support.

“We were extremely impressed by the work the Sanctuary has done to eradicate introduced pests like the possum, creating a safehaven for native wildlife in the heart of Wellington.” says Woolyarns’ Peter Wood.

“Possums are a major pest in this country - there are an estimated 70 million, and they eat around 21,000 tonnes of vegetation a day! Products using Possum fibre are becoming increasingly popular not only because of its high quality and unique properties but also because it is a unique and beneficial by-product of the essential possum control practiced in New Zealand”

In its first five years, the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust successfully eradicated 13 species of pest mammal (including possums) from a 250ha area of bush and wetland. A 2.2m-high predator-proof fence created New Zealand’s first “mainland island” where the bush could regenerate and native species could be reintroduced safely.

In just six years, 14 species have been reintroduced to the Sanctuary including kaka, saddleback, hihi, little spotted kiwi and tuatara. Many of these creatures had been extinct in the wild on mainland New Zealand for hundreds of years, and all of them were extinct in the Wellington region.

“Working in partnership with the region’s business community is extremely important to the Sanctuary. In the case of Woolyarns, which has developed a positive economic benefit to possum control, there is a clear fit with the Sanctuary’s conservation message. The Sanctuary provides a wide range of corporate partnership opportunities and is always keen to look at ways of working with local companies.” says Nancy McIntosh-Ward, Sanctuary CEO.

ENDS

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