Lend a Hand at Pukaha Mount Bruce

Switch off your computer, put your mobile phone on silent, turn off your TV and then close your eyes. Breathe in slowly and listen.

For some of us that sound of silence would be deafening and frightening. That was certainly the case for Pukaha a decade ago. Long gone was the 70-mile bush which once stretched from Masterton to Norsewood: a forest that thrived with plants, birds, insects and reptiles.

Fortunately, because of the vision of a community of people including Rangitane O Wairarapa, the Department of Conservation and the Pukaha Mount Bruce Board, 942 hectares of forest reserve is being restored. Pukaha is no longer silent, but a vibrant symphony of bird song.

Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre is a very special place that encompasses a life-force or 'mauri' that is truly unique to New Zealand. It is a haven that teaches all New Zealanders to appreciate their heritage, ensuring that it is somewhere that many future generations can learn from and enjoy.

We'd like to keep it this way! 

And you can help.

By lending a hand for a few hours a fortnight you can help keep Pukaha free of the predators that silence the bird song.

Pukaha needs assistance with a number of tasks. From looking after the growing numbers of local, national and international visitors and guaranteeing their continued support for the centre by making sure that they have the best possible visitor experience, to helping with the eradication of various predators that threaten to harm the special character of the bush and with it some of New Zealand's most precious species.

To do this, a new volunteer programme aims to strengthen the relationship between our local and regional communities, the native wildlife and the forest by encouraging people to lend a hand and get involved with some of the valuable work that is being undertaken at Pukaha.

ENDS

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