NEXT Environmental initiatives

A short video showcasing NEXT environmental investments.

Predator Free South Westland

Predator Free South Westland is a $45million, five year project that aims to eliminate possums, rats and stoats from a 100,000 hectare area bounded by the Whataroa and Waiau (Waiho) Rivers, the Southern Alps and Tasman Sea. The project area includes bush, rural land and the townships of Whataroa, Okarito and Franz Josef.

The project is a partnership between the people of South Westland, Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, Jobs for Nature, Department of Conservation, Predator Free 2050 Limited, OSPRI and the NEXT Foundation.

https://predatorfreesouthwestland.nz/

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Tāpui Aotearoa

Tāpui Aotearoa is exploring how to protect the unique animal species of Aotearoa New Zealand through banking their genetic diversity.

Cryobanks, or frozen zoos are in use throughout the world to support conservation efforts for endangered species. Tāpui Aotearoa is working alongside iwi to establish how this might work effectively in New Zealand.

NEXT is committed to two years research into cryobanking along with other founding partners The Department of Conservation, New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, and Genomics Aotearoa.

Read media release here

Tāpui Aotearoa prospectus – English version here

Tāpui Aotearoa prospectus – Te Reo version here

tapui

Te Manahuna Aoraki

Enhancing biodiversity in our iconic landscapes

Te Manahuna Aoraki is a large-scale conservation project focused on restoring the natural landscapes and threatened species of the magnificent upper Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki/ Mt Cook National Park.

The project will enhance biodiversity across 310,000 hectares of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most stunning landscapes, including braided river systems, high country farmland and alpine habitats.

NEXT Foundation,  the Department of Conservation , Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua, Te Rūnanga o Waihao and Te Rūnanga o Moeraki are the project’s founding partners. They are joined by high country landowners, and investors Aotearoa Foundation, Jasmine Social Investments, Global Wildlife Conservation and Predator Free 2050 Ltd and other government agencies together with the wider community.

https://www.temanahunaaoraki.org/

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Taranaki Mounga

He Kawa Ora! Back to Life

Restoring the ecological vitality of Taranaki’s mountain, ranges and islands is the vision for Taranaki Mounga, a collaborative partnership between the Taranaki iwi, Department of Conservation, NEXT Foundation and founding sponsors Shell NZ, TSB Community Trust, Jasmine Social Investments and Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua, together with the wider community.

www.taranakimounga.nz

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Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP)

Enabling a new future

NEXT partnered with the Department of Conservation in February 2015 to establish ZIP, a research and development entity focused on developing the tools and techniques to help to permanently, remove possums, rats and stoats from large mainland areas of New Zealand. The partners were subsequently joined by Jasmine Social Investments, Morgan Investments, a coalition of dairy industry players and Predator Free 2050 Ltd.

ZIP has made a number of significant technical advances toward its goal and has recently embarked on its first mainland eradication project in the Perth River Valley, a 12,000 hectare wilderness area in South Westland.

http://zip.org.nz/

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Predator Free Wellington

The world’s first predator free capital city

The goal for Predator Free Wellington is a bold one: eradicate all rats, mustelids and possums from the Wellington peninsula, enabling native wildlife and communities to thrive.

The project is a partnership between NEXT Foundation, Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, Capital Kiwi, Predator Free 2050 Limited and the wider community.

https://www.pfw.org.nz/

 

Project Janszoon

Transformational change in the natural environment

Project Janszoon is restoring and preserving the Abel Tasman National Park’s rich wildlife for all to enjoy. Named after Abel ‘Janszoon’ Tasman, the Trust was launched in 2012 with a goal of achieving transformational change in the Park. Project Janszoon works with partners – including iwi, Department of Conservation (DOC), Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust, tourism operators and the community – to eradicate pests and weeds, bring back native birds and bush, and inspire a culture of care for Abel Tasman National Park.

Project Janszoon – a Pre NEXT initiative – is aiming to complete the restoration by 2042, in time for the Park’s 100th anniversary.

https://www.janszoon.org/

 

Rotoroa Island

Public conservation park and wildlife sanctuary

Rotoroa Island is a predator free public conservation park and wildlife sanctuary in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf, about an hour’s ferry ride from downtown. In 2007, NEXT benefactors Neal and Annette Plowman committed to a 99 year lease from the Island’s owners, The Salvation Army, and in 2008 the Rotoroa Island Trust (a pre-NEXT project) embarked on a massive project to return the Island to its natural state. It eradicated pests and revegetated the Island with 350,000 native plants, transforming it into the beautiful haven and ‘island of restoration’ it is today.

https://www.rotoroa.org.nz/

 

IPIPIRI NATURE CONSERVANCY TRUST

The Ipipiri Nature Conservancy Trust was set up to raise funds to save the iconic Northland surf beach and surrounding native forest at Elliot Bay, in the Bay of Islands, from development. The Trust’s vision is to preserve and respect the Māori heritage and culture of the area, protect and enhance the biodiversity, maintain public access to the beach and camping ground, and develop walking tracks to connect to other tracks in the region establishing a Great Walk in the Bay of Islands.

The Ipipiri Trust reached an agreement to purchase the 700 hectare property critical to the project in June 2020, after raising $6million and negotiating a two year extension with the vendor Elliot family on the remaining $2million. The project is financially supported by many philanthropists including NEXT ,The Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust, Awhero Nui Charitable Trust, and more than 150 individual donors. It is also being backed by the Department of Conservation, local hapu, local body government and conservation groups.

The property consists of 500 hectares of native forest, with centuries old trees, like kauri, totara and rimu, and 200 hectares of farmland. It is home to endangered bird species like the kiwi and dotterel.

“We are thrilled to be in a position to secure this outstanding property ,” says Trust Chair Geoff Ricketts. “This iconic piece of Northland will now be a taonga, a treasure for all the people of Aotearoa /New Zealand to enjoy.”

https://www.ipipiritrust.org.nz/

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Previous Investments

The Cacophony Project

Information technology for predator control

NEXT invested in Cacophony from 2017-2021, supporting its development of information technology to advance New Zealand’s mission to become Predator Free by 2050. Its AI cameras have provided unique insights into predator activity around traditional trapping and detection devices. Cacophony continues to operate a completely open source model, so all its findings are accessible to the public.

https://cacophony.org.nz/

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PLACE / Predator Free Community Champion

Wellingtonian Kelvin Hastie was instrumental in starting Wellington’s first predator free community – Crofton Downs Predator Free Community – which was a catalyst for Predator Free Wellington and the other suburban trapping groups that followed.

NEXT supported Kelvin for two and a half years while he mobilised other Wellington communities into action – using the Crofton Downs model to help set up similar systems for engagement and data collection. In that time, more than 40 suburbs joined the movement with a vision of making Wellington the first predator free capital city in the world.

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View the Predator Free website here.