Wellington’s ecosanctuary Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne has been named the top tourism operation in Aotearoa New Zealand as
winner of the prestigious Air New Zealand Supreme Tourism Award.
The awards, presented by Tourism Industry Aotearoa, showcase and celebrate the very best of New Zealand tourism’s
individual and business successes.
As well as taking out the top award, Zealandia also won the category of the Airbnb Tourism Excellence Award
(Small-Medium Business).
The Wellington not-for-profit organisation is the world’s first fully fenced urban ecosanctuary, with an extraordinary
500-year vision to restore the valley’s forest and freshwater ecosystems. It connects people with Aotearoa New Zealand’s
unique natural heritage and inspires actions that transform how people live with nature in our cities, towns and beyond.
“We feel honoured to receive these awards,” said Zealandia Chief Executive Dr Danielle Shanahan.
She continued, “The awards belong to the thousands of volunteers and staff who, over the years, have transformed the
skies of Wellington from silence to the cacophony of bird song we hear today. It shows that regenerative tourism is more
than just a dream, and that visitors can support globally leading environment and community outcomes like those created
by our small not-for-profit.”
The award recognises the outstanding regenerative approach to tourism that Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne embraces. The
sanctuary has deep community support with hundreds of volunteers and thousands of members. It delivers world-class
learning experiences for youth and has transformed the birdlife of Wellington. Because of Zealandia, Wellington is now
one of the only cities in the world where bird biodiversity is on the rise.
Only minutes from the centre of the city, Zealandia has nearly 140,000 visitors annually who can get up close with rare
and endangered taonga/treasures who are normally found on offshore islands. Visitors can experience vulnerable native
species such as tīeke, little spotted kiwi, and tuatara living wild just 2km from downtown Wellington.
None of this would be possible without the charity’s community of volunteers, supporters and advocates.
“To even be considered for these awards is a huge achievement for us, and a testament to the mahi and dedication of our
amazing team, visitors, partners, mana whenua Te Ātiawa, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira,
and supporters who have made this recognition possible,” Dr Shanahan said.
“We would also like to congratulate our fellow nominees and finalists. The awards night showcased the magic of New
Zealand tourism. We dare to do things differently in Aotearoa, and last night it was clear that tourism can uplift
communities and our environment, rather than taking away from them.”
The Airbnb Tourism Excellence Award recognises a small-medium tourism business that has the wellbeing of communities at
its heart, is representative of our culture and values, has an excellent visitor experience at its core, it nurtures the
natural environment and is brought to life by a profitable enterprise that shows a high level of responsibility. It was
one of several award categories in 2023.
Winners were announced in person at an awards gala dinner last night (7 November) in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.
Help Zealandia to continue its work in protecting and advocating for nature and educating and inspiring future
generations by becoming a member or making a donation: https://donate.visitzealandia.com/