Artist: Nic Dempster
Location: Dunedin Railway Station Platform
The heart of Sir Neil and Lady Diana Isaac’s legacy is their McLean’s Island property in Christchurch. As a quarry reclamation project, their plans for it were intricate, determined and visionary. Now over half a century later, the result is something tremendous and the landscape is internationally recognised as the best of its kind. The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust are guardians of this land which is used primarily for the study, protection and breeding of native flora and fauna. It is a beautiful, elaborate and wide-ranging conservation space – one that upholds and protects the fragile natural treasures of New Zealand. Thanks to the generosity of the Isaacs, the conservation of this environment will continue in perpetuity.
Each year we raise hundreds of birds in our aviary facilities for release into the wild and have helped to turn the fortunes of these species around and put them on the path of recovery. We work in close partnership with the Department of Conservation and play a crucial role in the recovery programmes for five endangered native bird species including kākāriki karaka/orange-fronted parakeet, tūturuatu/NZ shore plover, kakī/black stilt, whio/blue duck and pāteke/brown teal.
We are also very proud supporters of the Wildlife Hospital based in Dunedin and its critical work in helping protect Aotearoa’s native wildlife. Since its inception, the hospital has been steadfast in its ethos of patient care here in the South with an 80% success rate across all species, and ground-breaking management programmes such as its hand-rearing and treatment of diseases for hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin chicks before release back to the wild.
We encourage everyone to vote and help support the protection and recovery of our most threatened species.
