The Sanctuary Mountain project began with a dream to protect the diversity of plant and animal species living on Maungatautari. The community came together with an aim to restore and protect this precious ecosystem, and in 2001 the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust (MEIT) was formed.

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a very special place due to the sheer enormity of the project - at 3400 hectares it is by far the largest pest-proof fenced project in the world. At 47km long it offers a safe haven for many of New Zealand’s most endangered species.

With most of the mountain mature and intact conifer/broadleaf/podocarp forest, the functioning ecosystem on Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is as close to the pre-human New Zealand environment as it’s possible to find. The large size and quality of the habitat means it’s a viable home for self-sustaining populations of many of our most endangered species – from birds to bats, frogs to reptiles, tuatara to giant weta.

This painting, Aotearoa Sanctuary Mountain, was created to celebrate the re-introduction of certain native species to the sanctuary – it features the Kiwi, Tieke (Saddleback), North Island Kaka, Takahe, Banded Kokopu, Giant Kokopu and Hihi (Stitchbird).