Ko ahau te Maunga, ko te Maunga ko ahau I am the mountain, & the mountain is me
Here at Cardrona, we have a special connection to our people, our mountain & our future. We have a culture of genuine respect for all who come here, all who have been, & all who will come here in years to come.
We know that we are the kaitiaki (guardians) of our maunga (mountain), & we are working to fulfil this role every day. We want to deepen this connection & take it to a whole new level. That’s why we launched the Cardrona Foundation – an organisation of guardianship, protection & conservation.
The Kārearea Project
Plant a seed
Ride Tamariki
Cardrona's Major Foundation Projects
We are in a unique position to be an advocate for worthy causes & support a stronger community.
We want to start a cycle of giving, well-being, & conservation that ripples through our community to make our place, people & future as good as they possibly can be.
You can read more about our 3 foundation projects in the tabs below.
The Cardrona Kārearea Conservation Project is a community project lead by Cardrona Alpine Resort. The project is supported by the businesses and people of the valley who all share a passion for the environment and are keen to help conserve the kārearea and help it thrive. The project has scientific oversight by Parker Conservation who are experienced ornithologists and are authorities on kārearea. The project has links with Iwi, Department of Conservation, and other South Island kārearea projects. A huge thanks to Hugo Charitable Trust and The Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation for their support of the project.
Photo: Troy Tanner
Our Mission
The kārearea is New Zealand’s only native falcon species and is a taonga (treasure) within our environment. Also known as Sparrowhawks in some areas, the species is our most threatened bird of prey, with threats such as predation by introduced mammalian predators, loss of habitat and wide-ranging human impact. The totemic presence of kārearea in the Maunga of Te Waipounamu (mountains of the South Island) is of vital importance to our ecological, cultural and societal health.
There is a significant knowledge gap in our scientific understanding of kārearea in the alpine environment which inhibits conservation management. Simply put, we need to collect more data about the kārearea in order to understand how best to protect it. Our region has a small population of kārearea and presents an opportunity to develop a science-based conservation approach in tussock grassland mountain ecosystems. An integral component of this project is education and community engagement, with local school children, residents and visitors to the region being introduced to the kārearea through multiple platforms.
Train people on how to identify & record kārearea.
Gather & understand local knowledge existing within the community.
Conduct targeted surveys for breeding pairs in spring/summer.
Work in conjunction with local residents and businesses at all times, respecting the diverse activities in the valley.
2. Locate breeding pairs
3. Locate & monitor nests
Install wildlife cameras to identify mammalian predators and monitor nest survival.
From an appropriate distance, check the area regularly to ensure the nest is still active.
Establish a trapping programme for nest site protection.
4. Gain insight on breeding population, habitat use & territory size
Leg band breeding adult kārearea to allow individual identification.
Leg band nestlings once they are sufficiently developed.
5. Educate and Engage
Create a suite of quality interpretation panels for display throughout the valley.
Capture imagery & footage from the nest cams (without revealing locations) and share through social media to create an online following.
In order to achieve real benefit, we will continue these actions for the next five years. We will investigate the potential for incorporating a postgraduate student into the project. In addition, we will publish the results of this project in scientific journals, so that this project will not only help the birds of this region but all across New Zealand.
The Cardrona Foundation's Plant a Seed project is all about making our maunga as beautiful as it can be, and educating the next generation.
What we're doing now
A major replanting project is underway, with teams of summer staff instating native plants.
A nursery is being built at the base of the mountain, on our land near a water supply at the bottom carpark.
We’re harvesting seeds around the mountain to grow in the nursery.
Local schools have asked to be involved in our replanting projects, so we’re including the kids & helping to educate them about horticulture & kaitiakitanga.
What we'll be doing in the future
Over the next five years, we want to establish 1000 native plants up on the mountain.
By 2024, we want to have reseeded 50ha of disturbed land.
We want to make sure every child in our region is ableto come skiing, with no barriers because of financial situation.
What we're doing now
We’re working with local schools & organisations to identify children/families who need assistance to get skiing or snowboarding.
In addition to this, Winter 2019 will see our first weekend development programme that offers a life-changing experience in the mountains for underprivileged teenagers.
What we'll be doing in the future
Cardrona team members will personally visit local schools to meet the kids & work with the schools to identify families in need. By 2024, we want to be visiting 20 schools each year.
A massive thanks to our Ride Tamariki sponsors:
The little things that all add up...
It's so important to us to look after our maunga and the environment in general. Read about what we're doing up at Cardrona now, and our goals for the future.
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