Fieldtrip: Orokonui ecosanctuary

Orokonui Ecosanctuary – Te Korowai o Mihiwaka is a community-led, not-for-profit conservation project near Dunedin in the lower part of the South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand.

We manage 307 hectares of Coastal Otago forest, which thanks to a 9km predator fence is free of introduced mammalian predators allowing native wildlife to thrive. Pests have been removed, habitat enhanced with weed control and planting, and many rare and endangered species re-introduced. Find out more about the species that call Orokonui home.

Our vision: A healthy, self-sustaining ecosystem, free of all introduced mammals and comprising indigenous species that are appropriate to the Orokonui forest, where people can enjoy a peaceful encounter with nature, and from which they may take recreation, refreshment, new knowledge, new skills and a new commitment to conservation.

The Orokonui valley lies under the kaitiakitaka/gaurdianship of our local rūnaka, Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki. The rūnaka are engaged with the conservation of wildlife at Orokonui, especially for taoka species.

Orokonui is a local Kāi Tahu name, referencing a peaceful planting phase of the moon (Orongonui). The Orokonui awa/stream runs through the valley to Blueskin Bay in Waitati.

Our gifted name ‘Te Korowai o Mihiwaka’ (The Sacred Cloak of Mihiwaka) speaks to the sloping forest-covered mountain forming one side of the valley.

Our second mountain, Māpounui, is identified by its flat basalt top. Together these mauka cradle incoming mist, providing moisture and life to the native cloud forest. Mauri ora!