A verdant haven for native birds, the Queenstown Kiwi Birdlife Park yesterday celebrated its 25th anniversary, proud of its transformation from literally a "rubbish tip".
Director Paul Wilson welcomed guests to the park started in 1986 by his late father, Dick, mother, Noeleen, sister Dawn and himself.
"Developing the park has been a labour of love. It has been a long, hard haul transforming it from a refuse site to what you see today," Mr Wilson said.
He thanked park staff for their support and hard work and all those who had helped in the journey from planning to completion.
Dick Wilson, whose vision for New Zealand wildlife conservation drove the founding of the park, died on New Year's Day last year.
Wildlife keeper Perg Bradley said that just like Queenstown, which did not see so much tourism then, a lot had changed at the wildlife park since the '80s when there was just the one kiwi house and a couple of aviaries.
"Over the years, we've transformed the place from a literal rubbish tip complete with rusting car bodies, blackberry, broom and old pine trees," Mr Bradley said.
"We've since planted 8000 native trees, transforming it into the haven you see today for native birds. We've got two nocturnal houses for kiwi today and plans to expand on this ... and now have wildlife roaming freely through the park feasting on the flowering plants."
The park's work to protect the kiwi and other native wildlife on show is an important aspect of the operations, wildlife manager Bridget Baynes said yesterday.
"Few people realise that our national icon is in severe decline and that very few kiwi make it to adulthood.
We participate in nationally managed captive breeding programmes for most of the birds held at the park and we've currently got two kiwi eggs incubating, the first of which is due to hatch next week."
In addition to the work inside the park, the park also releases birds into the wild and has a wildlife rehabilitation unit, working in partnership with Doc, vets and wildlife carers to care for injured or orphaned birds before release.
Next month, team members are off to Whenua Hou (Codfish Island) to monitor the wild kakapo population, a continuation of the many years Dawn Wilson, the family and staff have been volunteering.
"Over the past 25 years, we have developed the Wilson family's vision for native wildlife conservation. We've achieved so much for conservation, and we hope to achieve more in the next 25 years and then some," Ms Baynes said.
