Editorial: A milestone reached

OPINION: The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary is already a popular drawcard for people who like bush walks and who know that they are likely to see significantly more birdlife there than in other areas where systematic predator trapping hasn't been carried out.

But it can never be a true sanctuary without an expensive predator-proof fence around its 14 kilometre perimeter to keep out possums, rats, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs and mice.

The sanctuary trust and its many volunteers have already done the groundwork, maintaining a network of tracks, running trap lines and building and staffing an excellent entrance building. Now it has obtained resource consent for the fence, a major milestone in a project that began five years ago and has benefited from solid community support. That commitment is now facing its greatest test, with around $4 million needed to build the fence and most of the money having to come from fundraising. Yet the project's steady progress and its obvious worth to the city and the region give good grounds for optimism that the funding will be found. Much has been achieved. It is time to push on.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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