Milestone For Proposed Wildlife Sanctuary

The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary’s application for resource consent to build a 14km predator-proof fence to enclose the 700ha wildlife sanctuary is about to be notified for public submissions.
 
Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust Chair Dave Butler said it was a milestone for the trust and had come after careful consideration of the route of the fence, taking into account environmental, landscape and historical factors amongst other considerations.
 
"We have consulted with a wide range of people and obtained advice from botanical, archaeological, landscape, recreational and other professionals to get to this point,” he said.
 
"We held a public meeting to gauge support and identify what the issues might be; we closely evaluated three alternative fence routes, and walked the various routes with the fence suppliers and an experienced earthworks contractor to determine how practical each route was.”  
 
Mr Butler says the trust is confident the chosen alignment will cause the least overall effect.  
 
“The fence will be well below the Dun Mountain Walkway to ensure that the historic and other values of this old railway route are not compromised,” he said. “Walkers and cyclists on the walkway will not be affected by the fence, though in future they can expect to see a lot more birdlife.”
 
The predator-proof fence is based on the model first developed for Wellington’s successful Karori Sanctuary, and is essential to fulfilling the trust’s vision of creating an accessible and inspiring native wildlife experience close to Nelson’s city centre, to be enjoyed by locals and visitors.
 
Submissions to the resource consent application close on 15 June, after which a hearing will be held before an independent Commissioner.
 
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