Media release

15 October 2013

Rimutaka Forest Park Trust Celebrates 25 years

The Rimutaka Forest Park Trust (RFPT) marked its 25th anniversary on Saturday 12th October, 2013 in style with a celebratory dinner at the Hoopers Cafe on the Petone waterfront. A number of Trust members, volunteers, sponsors and current and former DOC staff attended and were entertained by after-dinner speaker, Ruud Kleinpaste.

The Trust’s president Ian Armitage gave a well-researched history of the Trust's 25 years of achievement which included some illuminating insights into the history of the Park before the Trust was formed and the circumstances leading up to— and people involved in— its inception.

Nicky Wagner (Parliamentary Private Secretary for Conservation) and Sarah Owen (DOC Conservation Partnerships Manager for the Wellington District) awarded the Trust with a cheque for $10,000 in recognition for their conservation efforts over the past 25 years. The cheque will assist current and upcoming projects, including: kiwi monitoring, pest trap maintenance, data collecting (e.g. Dawn Chorus Project), restoration planting, and building recreational facilities.
“The Rimutaka Forest Park Trust was the first ‘community led, planned, funded and implemented’ Kiwi translocation. Pioneering is critical to helping others see a way forward, and their dedication shows that we all have a part to play in making our reserves, gardens and wild places homes of safety for our flora and fauna,” said Sarah Owen of DOC.

To become a member or get involved with the Rimutaka Forest Park Trust projects, visit www.rimutaka.org.nz

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