Healthpost Nature Trust: Farewell Spit

It’s been nearly three years since we first visited HealthPost Nature Trust’s efforts to regenerate nature and restore biodiversity at Onetahua (Farewell Spit) and Wharariki, the northernmost tip of the South Island. Since then, they have increased revegetation and pest control efforts, extensively planted and fenced off the Wharariki Wetland, and focused their energy on preparing for reintroductions and protecting native species.

A 200-hectare block at the base of Onetahua/Farewell Spit, previously used for sheep grazing, is set to become a biodiversity hotspot, thanks to a 2025 restoration project lead by HealthPost Nature Trust in partnership with DOC, Manawhenua ki Mohua, and Pest Free Onetahua.

The transition builds on the Trust’s success in establishing a burrowing seabird colony at Cape Farewell. A key step in the project will be the construction of a 3km predator-proof fence, in partnership with Goldpine, to protect native species from possums, stoats, pigs, and hares.

“If we can defend the base of Farewell Spit, and with our partners tackle the predators, it’s going to become much more than just a great feeding ground for migratory birds. Apart from gannets on a sandspit at the very tip, it’s not a safe place for native species to raise their young. Together, we’re going to change that,” said HealthPost Nature Trust Chair Peter Butler.

DOC’s Ross Trotter, Operations Manager for Golden Bay, said the initiative is a natural progression of an already successful partnership with HealthPost Nature Trust and Manawhenua ki Mohua. “Having a DOC ranger on-site after the grazing license expired wasn’t in our budget, but HealthPost stepped in to co-fund a position that also supports greater biodiversity gains for the area. Farewell Spit and the surrounding area is a unique and internationally signifi cant ecosystem, and this new partnership will enhance conservation outcomes and visitor experience,” Ross said.

Burrowing seabirds like the pakahā (fluttering shearwater) have been a focus for the Trust, including the protection of other threatened species like the Nelson Green Gecko. In January 2024, 92 pakahā chicks were successfully translocated from Kokomohua Marine Reserve in the Marlborough Sounds to the Wharariki Ecosanctuary – the largest translocation they had accomplished and twice the number of chicks from previous years.

“We are now well on our way to achieving our vision of a mainland breeding colony at Cape Farewell. All the birds from last year fledged successfully, and now we are waiting for them to come back from sea. We have successfully translocated almost 200 birds over the last three years, and that number of birds is considered the start of a viable colony,” Lucy Butler, trustee of the HealthPost Nature Trust said. To attract more birds, they use acoustic attraction (playing bird calls) to encourage passing seabirds to breed in the safety of the Ecosanctuary. Lucy told us the Trust also uses nesting boxes and the area is starting to smell like a bird colony, helping to attract birds, and they hope to have proof of the colony’s success within a year.

Environmental accountability is championed at Healthpost Nature Trust. “We clear around plantings manually rather than using sprays, and we bait traps with rabbit pellets rather than poison, for example. We use coconut fibre plant protectors, wood and stainless steel for our fencing. We have extended our inner fence – the sanctuary within the larger Wharariki Ecosanctuary that was created for the pakahā – using a combination of Goldpine posts and stainless-steel mesh, in anticipation of the thriving colony in years to come,” Lucy added.

Lucy emphasised that skilled and dedicated volunteers—and over 10,000 hours of community volunteer time, working in partnership with the iwi group, Manawhenua ki Mohua, and the Department of Conservation—made this all possible.

Since the Trust was founded in 2017, Lucy has been amazed by the momentum that the project has gathered. Many individuals and groups have decided to come on board and help in one way or another. “I take every opportunity to encourage other businesses and landholders who may not know where to start, telling them not to be shy and trust that there is so much energy in our communities right now for change. You won’t be doing it on your own,” she said.

HealthPost, as a business, has a vision of having a lasting, positive impact on people and the environment, and the birth of HealthPost Nature Trust was an extension of this, being able to deliver what was important to them and the community. “The Nature Trust mahi (work) feels very aligned with our business, team, and customers. We’re proud to be taking an active role in regenerating nature in our corner of the world and hope we’re helping to demonstrate that businesses of all sizes have a role to play,” Lucy said.

HealthPost, as a business, has a vision of having a lasting, positive impact on people and the environment, and the birth of HealthPost Nature Trust was an extension of this, being able to deliver what was important to them and the community. “The Nature Trust mahi (work) feels very aligned with our business, team, and customers. We’re proud to be taking an active role in regenerating nature in our corner of the world and hope we’re helping to demonstrate that businesses of all sizes have a role to play,” Lucy said.

HealthPost, as a business, has a vision of having a lasting, positive impact on people and the environment, and the birth of HealthPost Nature Trust was an extension of this, being able to deliver what was important to them and the community. “The Nature Trust mahi (work) feels very aligned with our business, team, and customers. We’re proud to be taking an active role in regenerating nature in our corner of the world and hope we’re helping to demonstrate that businesses of all sizes have a role to play,” Lucy said.

If you would like to find out more about HealthPost Nature Trust and the amazing work that they do within the Tasman region, head to www.healthpost.co.nz/about-us/healthpost-nature-trust.