Our Story
Dedicated to bringing birdsong back
PDC are a community led conservation charity, set up by a small group of passionate residents with the vision of re-wilding Kaipūpū Sanctuary and Waitohi Picton.
In 2023 Picton Dawn Chorus Inc. and the Kaipūpū Point Mainland Island Society merged with a new joint vision.
OUR VISION
A predator-free Waitohi where native wildlife flourishes and the community is inspired by nature.
OUR MISSION
To restore native biodiversity in Picton through sustained predator control, sanctuary protection, community involvement, and environmental education.
“This morn I was awakd by the singing of the birds ashore from whence we are distant not a quarter of a mile, the numbers of them were certainly very great who seemd to strain their throats with emulation perhaps; their voices were certainly the most melodious wild musick I have ever heard, almost imitating small bells….“
– Joseph Banks, January 1770, while the Endeavour was anchored in Tōtaranui (Queen Charlotte Sound), Marlborough Sounds
The journey so far
To protect biodiversity, many of New Zealand’s rarest species have been moved to offshore islands. Here they are able to escape habitat loss, predation and competition with introduced mammals. These islands have become an integral part of New Zealand’s conservation effort.
In the early 1900’s, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company selected a site at the neck of Kaipūpū Point for a freezing works and areas of bush were cleared to be used for sheep grazing. In 1973, part of Kaipūpū Point was gifted to the Crown as a scenic reserve by the NZ Refrigerating Company and until 1987, the land was managed by the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park at which point the Department of Conservation began management.
In 1999, the conservation model of ‘mainland islands’ was conceived, using water as a barrier to pest species, with a specially designed fence. Consequently, there are now a number of mainland islands throughout New Zealand that have been created to help protect native plant and animal species. Kaipūpū Sanctuary is one such sanctuary.
In 2005, the land which was now owned by Port Marlborough and the Department of Conservation was ‘loaned’ to the Waitohi Picton community to create a nature sanctuary. This resulted in the establishment the Kaipūpū Point Mainland Island Society. Managed entirely by volunteers and with the support of local businesses, a 600 metre long predator proof fence was installed in 2008 and this created the first line of defence against mammalian pest species. The circular walking track was completed in February 2013 and Kaipūpū Sanctuary was officially opened to the public in March 2013.
Kaipūpū SANCTUARY
Kaipūpū Sanctuary is at the heart of our project at Picton Dawn Chorus. It’s long term goal to establish a sanctuary through the eradication of introduced plant and animal pests.
The pest proof fence has helped Kaipūpū become free from predator pests such as rats, mustelids and possums – and keep them from re-entering the sanctuary.
The trapping programme on the Sanctuary involves fortnightly checks by volunteers to prevent pest species like mice, rats and stoats, and plant pests like Old Man’s Beard from establishing.
SECOND line of defence
Picton Dawn Chorus was established to provide a SECOND line of defense. Our Operational Plan gives a target area, totalling 4,815 ha surrounding Kaipūpū Point, which has been split in to four stages:
1) Victoria Domain
2) Urban Picton and Waikawa
3) The Wedge
4) The surrounding hills of Picton
To date we have a network of 75 traplines with over 3,000 traps in place. The traplines across Victoria Domain, The Wedge and Kaipūpū are checked mostly by volunteers on a weekly roster with the more difficult tracks being tended to by our experienced bush trapping team. In Picton/Waikawa township, one in four residents have traps in their gardens.
