Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

Name

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne

Legal name

Karori Sanctuary Trust

Website

https://visitzealandia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife sanctuary and eco-tourism

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Sanctuaries & Rescue Centers (Visitor Operations) (THAAAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Guided Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (Sanctuary/Reserve-Based) (THAAAFAF), Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release Centers (Public Viewing/Education) (THAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Wildlife sanctuary
• Ecological conservation
• Native species restoration
• Guided nature tours
• Predator-free ecosanctuary

Headquarters

HQ city

Karori

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Visitors pay admission fees for self-guided entry to the sanctuary during opening hours. Revenue supports conservation, restoration, education and research activities.
2. Guided Tours: Various guided tour experiences including Zealandia by Day, Zealandia by Night, Twilight Tours, Kids Night Walks, Private Tours, and Mandarin-speaking tours are available for additional fees.
3. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership provides unlimited free entry, half-price entry for up to 5 friends per visit, 50% off guided tours, and 10% discount at the store and café. Multiple tiers available including adult, concession, family, and corporate memberships.
4. Retail Shop: The Zealandia Store sells merchandise, books, and nature-related products through an online Shopify storefront.
5. Venue Hire and Functions: Rātā Café and venue spaces are available for private functions, corporate events, and dining experiences.
6. Corporate Volunteering: Corporate groups can book team-building volunteer sessions in the sanctuary, free of charge with optional lunch packages available for purchase.
7. Donations: The sanctuary accepts donations to support ongoing conservation work. Donations are unconditional and non-refundable.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is a 225-hectare fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand that protects native wildlife in a mammalian predator-free environment and offers self-guided visits, guided day and night tours, private tours, school and corporate education programs, annual memberships, retail merchandise, and venue hire at Rātā Café. The sanctuary operates a long-horizon 500-year ecological restoration programme and actively breeds and translocates species such as kiwi pukupuku and takahē to other sanctuaries. Revenue from admissions, tours, memberships, donations, retail, and venue hire is reinvested into conservation, restoration, education, and research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rātā Café: On-site café and venue hire facility at the sanctuary
• Te Māra Toi Gallery
• Zealandia Hub

Products and services

• General Admission to Zealandia Sanctuary Daytime self-guided entry to the 225-hectare predator-free valley for general visitors, with access to walking tracks and wildlife observation from 9:00am to 4:30pm daily (except Christmas). Revenue supports conservation, restoration, education, and research.
• Guided Tours at Zealandia Expert-led group tours including Zealandia by Day, Zealandia by Night, Twilight Tours, Kids Night Walks, Private Tours, and Mandarin-speaking tours, providing interpretation of native wildlife and conservation. Private Day Tour priced at NZ$350 for up to 5 people and Private Dawn Tour at NZ$740 for up to 5 people.
• Zealandia Annual Membership Annual subscription membership in adult (NZ$67), concession (NZ$58), family (NZ$115), and corporate tiers, providing unlimited free entry, half-price guest entry for up to 5 friends per visit, 50% off guided tours, and 10% discount at the store and café.
• Zealandia Retail Shop On-site and online Shopify store (shop.visitzealandia.com) selling nature-related merchandise, books, and gift memberships to visitors and the general public.
• Rātā Café Dining and Venue Hire On-site café offering food and beverages to visitors, with adjacent venue spaces available for private functions, corporate events, and dining experiences. Open 9:00am–4:00pm with kitchen closing at 2:00pm.
• Corporate Volunteering Programme Booked team-building volunteer sessions in the sanctuary for corporate groups, provided free of charge with optional paid lunch packages available for purchase.
• School and Education Visits Immersive nature-based learning experiences for school and youth groups, including curriculum-aligned school visits and the Rāngai Rangatahi youth engagement programme.
• Te Māra Toi Gallery Exhibitions Rotating nature-themed art and photography exhibitions hosted in the on-site Te Māra Toi Gallery, providing cultural engagement alongside the sanctuary's conservation mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Native bird population growth: kiwi pukupuku grew from 40 to approximately 250 birds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cape SanctuarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on kiwi pukupuku translocations. In 2025, 10 kiwi were translocated from Zealandia to Cape Sanctuary in Hawke's Bay to bolster that sanctuary's population. This follows a 2024 translocation of 15 kiwi pukupuku. Zealandia's founder population of ~250 birds enables supporting other sanctuaries.
• Kiwi Recovery GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational conservation group working on kiwi recovery. Collaboration on kiwi translocation programs between Zealandia and other sanctuaries.
• Department of Conservation (DOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency managing national conservation. DOC works with Zealandia on species translocations, takahē recovery programs, and biosecurity response planning (including HPAI/bird flu preparedness).
• Ngāti Toa RangatiracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIwi partnership with cultural significance. Ngāti Toa Rangatira is recognised as kaitiaki (guardian) of kiwi pukupuku and participates in translocation ceremonies and conservation decisions.
• Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te IkacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIwi partnership for conservation and cultural engagement. Participated in takahē welcome ceremonies at Zealandia.
• Ngāi TahucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIwi partnership with cultural significance for takahē and kiwi conservation. Ngāi Tahu values takahē as a taonga and acts as kaitiaki (guardian).
• Ngāti MihiroaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIwi partnership involved in kiwi translocation to Cape Sanctuary.
• Burwood Takahē CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTakahē recovery centre near Te Anau that provides takahē for translocation to Zealandia. In 2023, Waitaa and Bendigo were transferred; in 2026, Hopi and Autahi arrived.
• Victoria University of Wellington (Te Herenga Waka)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research collaboration. Visiting research student Juanfra Guisado Chavez conducted PhD research on wētā seed dispersal at Zealandia.
• Ōtari-Wilton's BushminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBotanical garden collaboration on research. Juanfra's research on wētā seed dispersal may extend to collaboration with Ōtari-Wilton's Bush.
• Arb InnovationsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArborist contractor engaged for tree removal and track clearance following January storm damage at Zealandia.

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rotokare Scenic Reserve: A 230-hectare predator-fenced lakeside sanctuary in South Taranaki, New Zealand. Directly comparable operating model with community trust governance, guided tours, education programs, and native species reintroduction including kiwi and kōkako.
• Orokonui Ecosanctuary: A 307-hectare predator-fenced ecosanctuary near Dunedin, New Zealand, established in 2007 and inspired directly by Zealandia's model. Offers similar guided tours, education programs, and species reintroduction of native birds, reptiles, and invertebrates in a fenced urban-rural setting.
• Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari: A 3,400-hectare predator-fenced ecological island in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Operates the same mammalian-exclusion fence model pioneered by Zealandia and offers similar visitor experiences including guided tours, education programs, and conservation translocations of native species.
• Kāpiti Island Nature Reserve: A predator-free island nature reserve off the Kapiti Coast, source of Zealandia's original kiwi pukupuku founder population. Offers guided visitor tours and conservation programs for native species recovery in a comparable ecological restoration framework.
• Cape Sanctuary: A predator-fenced coastal sanctuary in Cape Kidnappers, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Directly comparable as a species translocation partner (received 25 kiwi pukupuku from Zealandia) with similar conservation, education, and visitor experience programs.
• Pukaha National Wildlife Centre: An 942-hectare unfenced wildlife restoration reserve in the Tararua ranges. Operates native species recovery programs (including kiwi and kōkako), a captive breeding facility, and offers visitor experiences and education programs comparable to Zealandia's conservation-tourism model.
• Brook Waimārama Sanctuary: A 69-hectare fenced ecosanctuary in Nelson, New Zealand, operating on the same predator-exclusion premise as Zealandia. Provides guided tours, education programs, and species restoration with a similar non-profit community trust structure.

Broad incumbents

• Auckland Zoo: New Zealand's largest zoo, operating as a charitable trust. Compares to Zealandia as a native wildlife visitor attraction and conservation organization with formal species breeding programs, though operates a traditional zoo model rather than a predator-fenced open sanctuary.

Regional players

• Wellington Zoo: Wellington's traditional zoological institution with native species conservation programs. Operates in the same Wellington geography as Zealandia but with a captive-collection model rather than an open sanctuary. Provides a useful comparison for Wellington's conservation visitor market.
• Zealandia (Australia's Zealandia / ACT): A separate urban wildlife sanctuary in Canberra, Australia (not to be confused with Wellington's Zealandia). Operates a fenced conservation model with native species recovery and public education. Provides cross-Tasman comparison for the urban ecosanctuary concept.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ZEALANDIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Zealandia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zealandia-ecosanctuary
• Instagraminstagram.com/visitzealandia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne