Partners
Wellington Zoo Trust would not be able to survive without the organisations who partner with us and the individuals who support us. As a charitable trust, our life blood is the support and enthusiasm of committed Wellingtonians and visitors.
Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council, as the Zoo’s principal funder, is our most important partner. This year Council has endorsed Wellington Zoo Trust’s proposed redevelopment programme. The Council has pledged $15.6m towards our redevelopment over the next ten years, providing us with a great starting point for community fundraising. Our redevelopment projects will improve health and safety, animal welfare and visitor experience throughout the Zoo.
Benefactors
The Zoo benefited again from funding granted by a number of trusts and community organisations during the year. The New Zealand Lotteries Grants Board, New Zealand Community Trust, Trust House Charitable Trust, Pub Charity, Perry Foundation, Shell New Zealand Sustainability Fund, Scottwood Trust, Estate of Alfred Charles Colcutt, The Community Trust of Wellington, Wellington Region Foundation, Rotary Club of Wellington, Koala Trust and Wellington City Council – City Events all separately contributed to new exhibits and new amenities for both animals and visitors.
| Funding Source | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| The Community Trust of Wellington | $100,000 | Hospital |
| Estate of Alfred Charles Colcutt | $5,000 | General purposes |
| New Zealand Lottery Grants Board | $21,000 (part of $64,000 reported last year) | Kererû Research |
| Ministry of Education | $75,555 (part of $240,000 reported last year) | Learning experience outside the classroom |
| New Zealand Community Trust | $200,000 | Hospital |
| New Zealand Lotteries Grant Board | $4,600 | Travel to international Zoo interpretation workshop |
| Perry Foundation | $11,209 | AV for Wild Theatre |
| Scottwood Trust | $5,000 | AV for Wild Theatre |
| Shell NZ Sustainability Fund | $20,000 | Composter |
| Trust House Charitable Trust | $20,000 | Wild Theatre |
| Wellington City Council – City Events | $5,000 | Zoo Centenary launch party |
| Rotary Club of Wellington | $15,000 | Zoo Centenary launch party and AV for the Wild Theatre |
| Wellington Region Foundation | $60,000 (over two years) | Green corridor project |
| Koala Trust | $7,245.60 | Hospital |
Donors
We would like to thank our valued donors who continue to offer contributions to support the Zoo, both through cash and in-kind donations.
- Pacific Radiology continues to give invaluable support to the Zoo through provision of x-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRIs and any other diagnostic services the veterinary staff of the Zoo may require for our animals. Their support provides us with state-of-the-art equipment, and top notch diagnosticians that we wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. Pacific Radiology positively contributes to the health of all the animals at Wellington Zoo.
- Arataki Honey remains an important partner for Wellington Zoo, donating both cash and honey to help support our sun bears. Their long term support of the sun bears has been rewarded with the birth this year of a new bear cub.
- Saatchi & Saatchi continues to wow us with their creative ideas for the Zoo. This year we ran two campaigns based around our centenary celebrations ‘Party Animals’ and ‘See how we’ve evolved.’
- The Dominion Post provides the Zoo with a monthly column and free advertising space, in return for the Zoo buying papers at a discounted rate to give to our customers.
- Classic Hits remains proud sponsor of the red pandas at Wellington Zoo. Each year they bring four lots of lucky children up to the Zoo to have close encounters with the pandas.
- A new bus fitted out with Wellington Zoo livery, looking like a large mobile billboard, is now out on the streets of Wellington thanks to the generous support of Go Wellington.
- On the side of our new chimpanzee house is a very special sculpture designed and made by Weta Workshop, to celebrate Frank Coles’ 54 years of working at the Zoo, and how much the Zoo has changed in this time.
- We’d like to say a special thanks to those who gave us extra support during our centenary year, recognising the importance of Wellington Zoo being the first Zoo in the country to turn 100. These organisations were all incredibly generous and we wouldn’t have been able to celebrate without them.
- The Radio Network
- The Dominion Post
- The Rotary Club of Wellington
- Radioworks
- Tip Top
- Wellington City Council Events
- Taronga Zoo
- We’d also like to acknowledge the valuable support of the following companies who made contributions in kind: Southern Cross Healthcare for hospital equipment; Dulux for paint to update the Historical Elephant House; Placemakers Evans Bay for plywood for new interpretation signs; New Zealand Post for Community Post Envelopes; Excell Corporation for discounted rubbish removal service and The Print Room who continue to print the quarterly Zoo newsletter for free.
Conservation and Research Partners
Beyond financial support, we maintain important partnerships with conservation, local government, and science organisations in Wellington and beyond. In particular, we acknowledge important contributions and partnerships with Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Otari-Wilton’s Bush, Victoria University of Wellington, the Department of Conservation, Massey University, Te Papa, Museum of Wellington City and Sea, Forest and Bird, the Environmental Risk Management Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.