The New Zealand Raptor Trust

Home
New Zealand
Timaru
The New Zealand Raptor Trust

The NZ Raptor Trust was established to rescue and care for sick, injured and orphaned raptors The Trust runs an education and advocacy programme.

This includes visits to school and community groups. A koha is appreciated for this to cover our costs. We also run the very popular Raptor Experience, a chance for you to learn about our New Zealand raptors and an opportunity to get up close and personal with them. Phone: 027 453 3484 for inquiries or

nzraptor.org/experience

26/05/2026

Stella & Jet are almost home — and we’re nearly there!

After years of planning, fundraising and sheer volunteer grit, our new Kārearea/NZ Falcon breeding facility in Timaru is nearly complete. In just a few weeks, bonded pair Stella and Jet will arrive at their new purpose built home and sanctuary — one of only three accredited falcon breeding programmes in NZ.

Now we’re down to the final steps — the finishing touches that will allow the sanctuary to fully operate and grow.

Your support will help us complete:
• final enclosure fit outs and safety features
• habitat enrichment and perch systems
• weather protection and landscaping
• specialised equipment and ongoing bird care
• preparation for future rescued and unrealisable birds

Every donation helps us cross the finish line and protect the future of NZ’s falcons and supports long term conservation, rehabilitation, and education.

👉 Support the Givealittle page: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/stella-and-jet-are-coming-home-help-us-finish
👉 Or direct to the NZ Raptor Trust - All Things Falcon account
06-0889-0350290-09
The New Zealand Raptor Trust

👉 Share this post to spread the word

Thought of something else that can help? Contact Jenni 021 896 268

Thank you for helping bring Stella and Jet home — this is community conservation at its best.

Video curtesy of Kārearea Falcon Trust, Blenheim - thanks Holly for taking care of our birds and a great video of our loved up falcons

23/05/2026

Who knew there was lots of different coloured bandages - which is your favourite 🥰.

We are having a run of hawks with broken bones at the moment and the good folks at Vetlife are providing us with a mix of coloured bandages.

Who can guess when we get the injured Hawk (fractured left scapular area - similar to human collarbone) from Alexandra, what colour bandage will he have?

Who would have guessed the Alexandra hawk (Newton) would have a blue bandage with paw prints LOL (photo in comments)

P.S. UPDATE we have the Hawk.
we are still needing a ride for him either from Alexandra or he can be driven through Cromwell if that suits better. Contact Jenni 021896268 if you can help.

14/05/2026

ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY - 15 May 2026

We are doing our bit - what are you doing?

If you want to help us, donations big or small welcome 06-0889-0350290-09 "All things Falcon" account of The New Zealand Raptor Trust.

The kārearea (New Zealand falcon) is a threatened, endemic species with an estimated 5,000–15,000 individuals remaining.

Key Facts about the Kārearea:
* NZ's only endemic bird of prey
* Capable of speeds over 200 km/h
* More rare than the kiwi
* Threat Status: "Threatened," specifically under the "At Risk" category in some regional studies, due to declining population sizes.
* Nesting: Unlike many NZ birds, they nest on the ground, making them and their eggs highly vulnerable to introduced pests such as stoats, cats, and hedgehogs.
* 2025 Bird of the Year: The kārearea was crowned Bird of the Year 2025, highlighting its iconic status.

09/05/2026

Snappy and Bellas release

Both of these Hawks came from around the Cave area.

Firstly, Snappy was found by Maddie, he was just standing in a paddock and had been grounded for a couple of days, so with no fear she picked him up and took him home to her parents who then bought him to us. Turns out he had a broken wing and signs of infection so it was 4 weeks total bedrest (being waited on hand and ‘talon’) as the break couldn’t be bandaged.

Next its Bellas story. Jarred was driving along the road and three hawks took off from the side of the road - two went one way and Bella unfortunately went the wrong way and hit Jarreds car. He quickly picked her up and bought her to us. The good news was Bella had no broken bones only bad bruising.

As the two of them were recovering they were regularly seen perching beside each other, so was only fitting to release them together close to where both of them came from.

After the release they were seen flying together - maybe we did some matchmaking 💕

05/05/2026

WE ARE NEARLY THERE – WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Stella and Jet are packing their bags in preparation for their big journey south next month and we cant wait.

This time we need to do another round of thankyous for all the people who are supporting us with build, the dream is almost a reality.

* Stu Heap Builders
* Humphris Engineering
* Foleys Plumbing
* Morris Waddell Electrical
* Aotea Security
* Dennison Doors
* Morse Aluminium
* Paul Smith Earthmoving
* Resene Paints
* Simpsons Flooring Xtra
* Placemakers
* Plumbing World
* Heartland Containers
* P&W Painters
* Timaru Bluestone
* Arowhenua Nursery
* Southern Woods Nursery
* Fern Factor Ltd
* Rainbow Park Nurseries South Island Transport

Hope we haven’t missed anyone 😊

If you still want to help us, we are looking for donations for the following:
+ Astroturf for enclosures
+ Kitchen fitout
+ Safety / hygiene equipment (gloves, masks, bootwash, disinfectant etc)
+ Seating and display boards
+ Computer and desk

Contact Jenni if you can help or donations to
THE NEW ZEALAND RAPTOR TRUST
06-0889-0350290-09 (All things Falcon)

21/04/2026

Conservation week – Nature loves a team effort

We want to take a moment to highlight just how much teamwork recently went into getting an injured hawk (Bree) from Cromwell all the way to Timaru. You know the saying, “it takes a village to raise a child”—well, it turns out, it takes a team of caring people to ensure our raptors are well looked after too!

From Rory the dedicated tourist who found Bree on the side of the road, but he couldn’t keep her overnight in their van until we could get a ride. This is where Bobbie and her son stepped in and looked after Bree overnight, they made sure she was comfortable and fed.

The next day Leigh and her family ‘Ubered’ Bree to Timaru on their way to Christchurch. From when we were contacted about Bree we had her within 24 hours - everything went like clockwork.

The next day Bree went to visit Zoe at Vetlife for a checkup and she is now convalescing with Angie.

Each person played a crucial role in getting Bree the care she needed quickly - well done Rory, Bobbie, Leigh, Zoe and Angie.

Bree is just one of the many birds that have had a group of supporters to get them to our care.

Thank you all for your commitment and support. It’s inspiring to see so many come together for the welfare of our wildlife. This journey really proves how much we can accomplish when we work as a team.

If you are interested in joining our team of ‘Úbers’, then complete this form https://forms.gle/eYJGjxS5u5pG5gco7 and you never know when we will call you 😊

10/04/2026

What a great feel-good success story - well done to those involved. It has bought back memories of a similar story about our girl Tilly back in 2023 and Mace again in 2025. The one thing in common is they have all gone in backside first so seem to have a greater chance of surviving.

Click here for Tillys story
https://www.facebook.com/nzraptor/posts/pfbid0tLpFgeHwf1iBP1cEp3H6QW8Xab5zsWARQ4FZewTRGHWEY4UPQHRR49EG1FAZAXQWl?__cft__[0]=AZZY63EE1B2-XHeD9bgkxWRcaDDXYyZsmpDtc_0d3IX1WyiJ0zVNWtCq0q9NlsNt1qM9ec6JLEWqKO13kt8LP6CLClF07cGjr8Ro1rd6WGw02yJPBYuF-rSmLXngzj8C7lnB8p2HP2joj2J6mK_txhs66QdZ21zQnYMo5M_33vHIFQ&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

04/04/2026

Aren’t these Little Owls just too cute 🦉💕

We have had the pleasure of caring for these wee injured or orphan juvenile Owls. Each of these Owls have been released.

This season we received 25 Little Owls, of these 12 are releasable and 11 of these have now been released with Archie our last juvenile due for release next week (when the weather is better). Three are going into our Education programme and the other 10 were not so lucky, their injuries were too severe.

The owls have come from as far away as Waimate through to Leeston.

A big thanks to everyone who bought us one (or two) of the 25 Little Owls this season.

From now through to spring you will start to notice the Little Owls will sit on the road as its warm and especially under street lamps so they can catch the moths and bugs. Unfortunately they cannot be seen until its too late.

So if you see an Owl sitting on the road and doesn’t fly away - it probably will be injured, so stop and pick it up and contact us immediately - time is critical with these wee guys.

26/03/2026

Griff is an interesting rehab case with us at the moment. He’s very young - only a few months old, was very underweight and couldn’t fly.

When he arrived he got a good check over by Dries at Vetlife and we couldn’t find anything wrong with him, but what we did find was a sign that something very traumatic happened to him, most likely while still in the nest.

How can we tell this, usually when a young Hawk gets stressed while in the nest (by the likes of being abandoned, lack of food, predator attacks etc) the growing tail feathers show a weakness called stress lines.

With Griff, his whole tail has a stress line and then his tail feathers have finished growing in lighter, so something very traumatic has happened. We have not seen such a bad case as Griffs - its possible all his feathers will break at that point and will need to be replaced (process is called Imping) before he is able to be released

The good news is he’s putting on weight and started to do small flights but its still early days…

19/03/2026

WE NEED YOU!

The NZ Raptor Trust is looking for someone to join our team as Treasurer, we are casting the net far and wide to find the ideal person to fit our needs, but it also needs to be rewarding for you.

Talking of needs
• You need to have an interest in finances
• Be able to use Xero
• You need to attend our Two monthly Board of Trustees meetings (evenings)
• We are paperless, so all invoices, receipts are presented electronically
• If you wish you can become more involved with the bird side or just stay as Treasurer
• An added bonus is if you were a “master of fundraising” (but not essential)

More about us:
• We are based in Timaru
• We are not government funded but operate on donations and grants alone
• We are all volunteers
• And most of all, we all love our Raptors

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, then contact our Chairperson (Jenni) on 021 896 268.

12/03/2026

We seem to be on a roll with thanking people, we are very grateful for everyone who is helping us build our falcon facility.

This time we are thanking Pub Charity, your generous grant has allowed us to purchase two brooders/incubators not only for our Falcons but also for our rehab Harrier Hawks and Little Owls. The units have already been put to good use for several hawks and owls.

We also thank Pub Charity for a Fridge and Freezer for our new falcon breeding facility, they are essential to keeping the falcon food separate from the rehab bird food. Falcons require a different diet especially at breeding time.

If you don’t know already but supporting the following facilities helps groups like us get ‘stuff’ we need to run our charities

Timaru District contributing venues:
🦅 Crown Hotel & Pub - Geraldine
🦅 The Grosvenor Hotel - Timaru
🦅 Richard Pearse Tavern - Timaru

Address

Redruth Street
Timaru
7910

Telephone

+6421896268

Website

http://nzraptor.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The New Zealand Raptor Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Timaru?