Where the Wild Things Are

Goldpine products have ended up in all kinds of places over the years, but few quite like this. HUHA, nestled in the hills of Wellington’s Upper Hutt, is New Zealand’s largest independent animal rescue sanctuary and is home to all sorts of animals, from the micro to the massive. Founded by Carolyn Press-McKenzie, HUHA – which stands for Helping You Help Animals – has spent nearly 25 years rolling up their sleeves and saving animals of every shape and size.

HUHA’s shelters are far from typical. They currently house over 500 animals on-site, everything from dogs and cats from domestic violence situations, to pigs, goats, deer, and they even have a zoo licence to care for monkeys rescued from circuses and defunct zoos. “We take any animals into our care. Anything that needs help comes our way.”

When disaster strikes or animals fall through the cracks, HUHA steps in. They don’t just respond to everyday animal needs – they go where others won’t. Carolyn told us that MPI now deploys HUHA in emergencies, such as floods or fi res, to rescue the animals involved. HUHA has travelled nationwide post-earthquakes, cyclones and even over to Australia following the bushfi res, to help the animals and their owners caught in disasters. “If MPI haven’t deployed us because it’s not a catastrophic emergency, then we might get deployed by a local council or even by another charity that just needs support. We zoom around all over the show. We’ve been to Australia during the bushfires, spending a lot of time there building veterinary triages so they can do their work.” They set up temporary shelters using fencing panels and gear. “We let the animals come, with their owners too, so families can stay together. Then, after the crisis, we help rebuild so people can take their pets home. That helps them get back on their feet.”

Carolyn estimates thousands of animals have passed through HUHA over the years, though she’s never counted.

“We’re problem solvers,” she said. “We’ve taken on 180 starving cows from a young girl who wasn’t coping, 25 turtles,100 guinea pigs, 30 inbred ponies – it doesn’t matter what they are. If they need help, we find a way,” she said.

“I always laugh and say, we have a lot of pest animals. When the hunter shoots a goat and there’s a baby and they don’t know what to do with it, it comes to us. We have pigs that no one knows what to do with; we have geese and peacocks, as well as many other species that may not be desirable. We also help wildlife; we do hands-off responses as well. For instance, if there’s a seal and it needs a barrier put around it so dogs can’t get to it, but it can still get to the water, we’ll go in and set that up.”

The organisation’s stories range from sad to shocking, but with plenty of happy endings. HUHA recently headed to the Solomon Islands to desex street dogs – but ended up rescuing two crocodiles that had been kept in a pit behind a café for 12 years. “We were working really hard, and we heard that there were two crocs in a pit, and that they’d been living there for a long time. And you can’t unhear it once you’ve heard that. So, one night after we’d finished up, we went on a little bit of a recce. We found them, and it was horrible. They’ve been living like that for 12 years. So we managed to fundraise a little, and then we pitched in a bit too, and we got them signed over to us.” HUHA is now building a new facility for the crocs, with help from the Australia Zoo team.

Closer to home, they’ve turned an old forestry block into a sanctuary, fighting off wilding pines and reclaiming the land bit by bit. Strong shelters are essential – warm, dry, and built to last. “We want the animals to feel like they’re at home and they have all the comforts that they deserve. We try to build robust shelters that can keep them warm and dry, ones that are really easy for the teams to clean, and ones that are just going to stand the test of time,” Carolyn said.

“We like using Goldpine products so that we’ve got really robust, good shelters that will stand for years. From the turtle enclosure netting to proper deer fencing, it’s good for everything.”

Working alongside Andrew McCracken of Big Dog Fencing, HUHA has used Goldpine materials for fencing, shelters, and enclosures. “Plans change from week to week, but we can just talk to Andrew, and next thing you know, there’s a delivery from Goldpine. Then over a week or two, the project’s finished, and the animals are safe and warm and dry and happy, and the team are safe, and they have a really good environment to work in,” Carolyn told us. “We’ve got kick-ass big fence posts, ply, battens, palings, netting, and four-by-twos. Even the monkeys are surrounded by Goldpine,” Carolyn said. “It’s stood the test of time. We’ve used it for five years already, and I reckon it’ll last for twenty more, at least.”

HUHA runs on the work of 20 paid staff and around 80 volunteers a week. “The team’s incredible. We are able to help more and more animals because of the people we have here. And it’s not just on-site either. They go home and carry the message with them – that every animal matters.”

With a veterinary team on-site and a growing number of op shops supporting their income, HUHA is expanding its reach. “We’ll go anywhere in New Zealand we’re called, and overseas, when needed.”

HUHA has responded to 22 major emergencies over the last 12 years, including fires, floods and earthquakes. Their work in the 2019 Nelson fires saw them house 957 displaced animals. “People were getting evacuated and didn’t know what to do with their animals. We set up a shelter, cared for them, and gave families time to sort things out. That’s what matters.”

While they don’t receive government funding, HUHA survives through public donations, sponsorships, bequests, and $3 text donations. “It all adds up,” Carolyn said. “People can sponsor an animal – a chicken, a deer, anything. That helps us keep the lights on.”

For Kiwi communities, HUHA offers a rare kind of lifeline – one that understands that animals aren’t just animals. “People put themselves at risk to save their animals,” Carolyn said. “So when we help the animals, we’re helping people too.”

They are currently appealing for winter feed. To support HUHA, visit their website or text “hay” or “HUHA” to 4463 to donate $3.