The two-year biodiversity project aims to bring some of New Zealand's most threatened wildlife back to the Great Walks network, including the Routeburn Track, near Glenorchy.
Department of Conservation (Doc) Wakatipu biodiversity programme manager Mike Ambrose said chance encounters with New Zealand's unique and highly vulnerable wildlife were part of the whole Great Walks experience.
''Over and above our existing pest control work in the area, this partnership has enabled us to go beyond simply providing breathing space to threatened species and we can now help populations to grow,'' Mr Ambrose said.
Wildlife next to the Routeburn Track that would now benefit included native long-tailed bats/pekapeka, New Zealand forest parrot/kaka, parakeets/kakariki, yellowhead/mohua, fantails/piwakawaka, rifleman/titipounamu, rock wren/piwauwau and kea. In addition, New Zealand mistletoe/pikiraki near Lake Sylvan would be better protected.
Air New Zealand's investment enabled extra staff to monitor and service the traps and would also make a rat and possum control operation possible the next time pests increased to damaging levels.
An area of 8500ha was expected to benefit from the project.
Air New Zealand head of sponsorship James Gibson said the national carrier was ''committed to supporting conservation projects in New Zealand, such as the Routeburn Valley Restoration Plan, which we hope will restore native bird populations around the Routeburn Track, as well as contribute to the experience of visitors to the area.''
Like many of New Zealand's natural areas, the Routeburn Valley was subject to large-scale damage by introduced species. Without effective pest control, native species such as mohua were destined to become extinct in the wild, Mr Ambrose said.
