Ark in the Park New Zealand

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Ark in the Park New Zealand

Welcome to Ark in the Park. Volunteers protecting the Waitākere Ranges - Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa We are an unfenced sanctuary protecting 2400ha.

Our vision is "From the ridges to the sea: restoration of the Waitākere Ranges to create a safe haven for native species which is rich and diverse, and is valued by present and future generations.”

Our aim is to achieve this by restoring functioning native ecosystems through pest control and reintroduction of native animals and plants lost from the Waitākere Ranges. Auckland Council’s possum control has allowed the forest vegetation to recover, but restoration of many of the “lost” species cannot happen unless we bring them back, and protect them with ongoing intensive pest control (especially for rats and mustelids). So far toutouwai/robin and kōkako have been successfully returned. Unlike many other “mainland island” projects, Ark in the Park does not have a predator proof fence – instead, ongoing pest control by our volunteers and neighbours keeps predator numbers low enough to allow survival and breeding of re-introduced as well as original native birds and other biodiversity.

27/09/2026

The mahi never stops!

This week, our dedicated volunteers have headed back out into the field to conduct our quarterly Five Minute Bird Counts (5MBC).

These counts help us track how our native birdlife is responding to our ongoing predator control efforts!

While our volunteers trained in Five Minute Bird Counts headed straight out into the field, it was also fantastic to run two workshops for both new and returning volunteers, helping to build and strengthen the biodiversity skills within our community.

Thanks to Ethan Lu for capturing a great photo of the team completing 5MBC earlier this year!

23/09/2026

We are ecstatic to share that, for the first time in more than 13 years, rat monitoring across the Ark has recorded an average residual tracking index (RTI) of less than 5% for rats!

Achieving an RTI of less than 5% for rats is identified by DOC as a key target for kōkako recovery and is an important milestone that the Ark in the Park community has been working hard to achieve.

Our most recent baiting pulse, combined with the ongoing efforts of our dedicated trapping community, has reduced the average rat RTI by 90%, down to just 4.3%!

This achievement would not have been possible without the extraordinary effort from our volunteers. In the past two months alone, 110 different volunteers have contributed more than 1,300 hours to predator control across the Ark, and their mahi remains ongoing!

Maintaining low predator tracking indices as we head into the breeding season is critical to giving our native species the best possible opportunity to breed, raise young and thrive.

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this milestone possible, we couldn't do it without you!

Thanks to Ethan Lu for the great photograph of our rat monitoring in action.

18/09/2026

This Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori we celebrate te reo Māori and its deep connection to te taiao, the natural world!

At Ark in the Park, we’re proud to learn, listen and continually strengthen our connection with the ngahere and whenua, seeking guidance from mana whenua Te Kawerau ā Maki, our valued project partner.

Thanks to Ethan Lu for the fantastic photo.

11/09/2026

A big thank you to Pest Free Waitākere Ranges Alliance for supporting the enhanced trapping network we’re implementing at the Ark. Their generous contribution of ramps for our AT-220 traps, along with additional peanut butter, will help us strengthen our predator control efforts across the programme.

A special thank you also to everyone who has supported the Ark recently through GiveATrap donations! Your contributions are hugely valued and make a real difference to the work our community is doing to protect native biodiversity.

And finally, thank you to Ethan Lu for the great photo!

07/09/2026

A big thank you to Auckland Zoo for coming out to the Ark several times over the past few months to help with our baiting pulses and line maintenance!

We really appreciate Auckland Zoo’s longstanding support of the Ark, and it’s fantastic to see so many enthusiastic faces pitching in to help make these operations a success.

05/09/2026

Our extraordinary volunteers have contributed over 1,000 hours in the month of August alone to protecting native wildlife in the Ark!

In August, 107 volunteers have come out to the Ark and gotten involved in baiting, trapping, seedfall collection, line maintenance and biodiversity monitoring.

This contribution is phenomenal and we are so grateful to each and every one of our volunteers!

02/09/2026

Check out our diphacinone strikers in action!

Trail camera footage from one of our bait stations gives us a first hand look at just how irresistible these strikers are to rats.

Over the course of several days, rats repeatedly return to the station, feeding on both the initial bait layout and the first top-up.

It’s fantastic to see everyone’s hard work paying off, with the bait being actively taken by these pesky predators that too often prey on our native wildlife!

27/08/2026

Ever wondered what our diphacinone strikers look like after they've been deployed in the bush?

In areas where rat uptake is high they often look like this, with all of the green toxin eaten leaving only the potato starch housing!

While each striker is biodegradable, after a 10 day stand down period our volunteers visit each line for a fourth time to collect in all of the strikers regardless of whether it is eaten or not.

This is an important task as by ensuring we are not leaving old, weathered bait out we minimise the chance of rats becoming bait shy and leave the ngahere looking as lush as we found it- with hopefully a few less rats!

Thanks to everyone who has helped out so far, and thanks to Ethan Lu for capturing this great photo!

12/08/2026

Check out these tokoriro, commonly referred to as ‘cave wētā’, that one of our volunteers, Ethan Lu, discovered while helping out with our ongoing bait pulse!

It’s not only our feathered friends that suffer from predation by rats, mice and mustelids. These introduced predators also prey on tokoriro, providing yet another reason why our ongoing baiting and trapping work is so important.

Want to help out? Check out the different ways you can support us via our website.

10/08/2026

At the start of August we began a massive baiting pulse using diphacinone to tackle rat numbers across the entire Ark!

So far, bait has been laid and topped up across the entire southern section, with 2,681 bait stations each visited twice in just eight days!

More than 50 incredible volunteers have contributed 324 hours to the pulse so far, with many back out in the field today completing a second top-up of bait.

A massive thank you to everyone who has given their time and energy to help make this pulse happen!

Keen to get in on the action and lend a hand? Head to the ‘Get Involved’ page on our website to join the team.

Thanks to Ethan Lu for the great picture.

Address

Falls Road
Waitakere

Telephone

+6498107014

Website

http://www.arkinthepark.org.nz/

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