Southern Lakes Sanctuary has taken guardianship of a rare piece of New Zealand conservation history – an original takahē photograph dating back to the 1940s – now on loan as a result of a remarkable chain of stewardship spanning generations. 

The image traces its origins to one of the most significant moments in Aotearoa’s conservation story: the rediscovery of the takahē in 1948. At the time, the species had been declared extinct not once, but twice – with only four confirmed sightings prior to 1898. But for Invercargill doctor Geoffrey Orbell, uncertainty remained. As he later reflected, “Only four takahē had been found prior to 1898 and it was now supposed to be extinct. That word ‘supposed’ stimulated my boyish sense of adventure.” 

The rediscovery that changed conservation history

On 20 November 1948, Orbell led a small expedition including Neil McCrostie, Rex Watson and Joan Watson (nee Telfer) deep into the remote Murchison Mountains of Fiordland National Park. Acting on reports of unusual bird calls and footprints in the tussock, the group pushed into an isolated valley now known as Lake Orbell. There, they encountered what had been lost for half a century: a large, flightless bird, half a metre tall, with iridescent blue and green plumage – the takahē (then known as Notornis).

The original takahē photograph

Tracing the photograph’s journey

The photograph now held by Southern Lakes Sanctuary comes from Joan Watson’s estate, directly linking it to that rediscovery era and the people involved. 

Its more recent provenance reflects the continued effort to preserve that legacy. Dunedin art collector Marshall Seifert purchased the photograph through Haywards Auction House, before passing it to Gibbston Valley-based art consultant Leah Seifert, who specialises in sourcing rare and original works. 

Recognising its historical significance, the photograph was recently acquired by the family of the late Ted Bennett – a close friend of Orbell who played a role in early takahē conservation efforts in the Murchison Mountains. Bennett often joined Orbell and others on expeditions to help restore and protect takahē habitat, contributing to the foundations of the species’ long-term recovery.

Ted’s legacy continues today, including through the naming of a takahē at Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin.

Ted Bennett on an early takahē expedition. Courtesy of the Bennett whānau

An unexpected modern connection

That legacy found a new connection in 2025, when Bennett’s granddaughter, Jaimee Maha, partnered with Southern Lakes Sanctuary to campaign for takahē in Bird of the Year. The collaboration helped build wider public awareness and support for the species, while also forging a meaningful relationship between Maha and the Sanctuary. 

It is through that connection that the photograph is now on loan to Southern Lakes Sanctuary. In many ways, it has come full circle – entrusted by a family whose own story is deeply intertwined with the takahē’s recovery. 

The next chapter for takahē

Today, that recovery is being written in places like the Rees Valley, where Southern Lakes Sanctuary is helping shape the next chapter. Through sustained conservation efforts, the valley is now home to the largest wild population of takahē outside the Murchison Mountains – a significant milestone in the species’ return. 

The photograph is a tangible link between rediscovery and recovery, connecting the pioneering efforts of the past with the conservation work underway today to help secure the takahē’s future. 

A sighting of two whio (blue duck) in the Rees Valley last week is being celebrated as a significant milestone for conservation in the Southern Lakes region.

The pair were spotted by our field team while installing a new predator trapping line near Hunter Creek, as part of ongoing work to protect takahē.

Whio have not been recorded in the area since the 1970s. Their return is a strong indicator that large-scale predator control across the valley is improving the outlook for native wildlife.

Evidence that conservation efforts are working

Southern Lakes Sanctuary CEO Paul Kavanagh says the conditions that enabled the return of takahē to the Rees Valley in 2025 are likely contributing to the reappearance of other native species.

“The conservation work needed to support takahē are the same measures that benefit many other native species,” he says. “Seeing whio appear in the valley is hugely exciting and rewarding for all the people who have been part of this journey. It’s proof that years of hard work and collaboration are starting to deliver real results for native taonga.”

Whio pair at Hunter Creek

The whio sighting follows another encouraging milestone in 2025, when western weka were confirmed in the Rees Valley – another species that had been absent from the area for many years.

These moments reflect the impact of coordinated predator control across the wider landscape, with Southern Lakes Sanctuary working closely alongside the Department of Conservation’s Takahē Recovery Programme, Ngāi Tahu, Rees Valley Station and our partner group Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust.

A return with deep local significance

The return of whio has particular significance for those who have lived and worked in the valley for decades.

Rees Valley Station – a historic high country property with a long pastoral history – has been farmed by the Scott family for generations.

Iris Scott, who has lived on the station since the 1970s, carried on farming the land after the death of her husband, Graeme Scott, and now manages it alongside her daughters, Kate and Diane. She says the return of whio is something she has long hoped to see again.

“Releasing takahē into the Rees Valley last year was already a landmark moment for us,” she says. “But seeing whio again is beyond what I’d hoped for. I remember seeing them when I first started farming here in the 1970s, and it’s always been a personal dream to see them return.”

Iris Scott, Rees Valley Station

Estelle Pura Pera-Leask (Ngāi Tahu, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Ruanui), trustee for Southern Lakes Sanctuary, says the return of native species also reflects a deeper relationship between people and the environment.

“For Ngāi Tahu, the return of species like whio reflects the restoration of relationships between people, whenua and waterways, and the responsibility of kaitiakitanga to protect them for future generations.”

Looking ahead

While it is too early to know whether the pair may go on to breed, the sighting is an encouraging sign that sustained predator control and collaboration across the landscape are starting to deliver results.

Continued collaboration between landowners, iwi, community groups and funding partners will be essential to ensuring native species can return and thrive across the region.

Arrowtown and the surrounding Coronet Face area are seeing encouraging signs for local biodiversity, thanks to ongoing work between Whakatipu Wildlife Trust and Southern Lakes Sanctuary – and an army of volunteers and supporters.

Since this work began, over 4,500 possums have been caught, and anecdotally locals are reporting more native bird life – trends that upcoming biodiversity monitoring should hopefully confirm.

Arrowtown’s possum population is shrinking – even as our trap network grows

Since 2022, the Arrowtown AT220/520 trap network has expanded from 28 to 117 traps, dramatically increasing coverage across the basin edge. Despite this growth, the average number of possums caught per trap has fallen steadily – a classic sign of mature suppression. While total possums removed continue to rise, the decline in per-trap catches shows that possum densities are genuinely dropping, giving native birds and trees a much-needed reprieve.

Arrowtown key numbers 

Southern Lakes Sanctuary’s Whakatipu Coordinator, Bonnie Wilkins, reluring possum traps

Coronet Face: rapid knockdown to sustained control

Coronet Face, a newer project spanning steep slopes and a diverse mix of tussockland, regenerating beech pockets, exotic woodlands and native plantings, has seen fast-moving results. Initial possum knockdowns were high, but in just two years the area has transitioned into sustained suppression, demonstrating the impact of coordinated predator control across complex and challenging terrain.

Coronet Face key numbers 

Tūī © Ben Carson

Whakatipu Wildlife Trust are about to commence bird monitoring which we hope will confirm this and Southern Lakes Sanctuary has recently installed acoustic monitoring devices to support this.

“Our data show a clear shift from knockdown into suppression,” says Paul Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Southern Lakes Sanctuary. “These results – fewer possums, more resilient birdlife, recovering forests – are only possible because of sustained effort across the community. Ongoing biodiversity monitoring is essential to measure that progress – and it’s an area where further support from local businesses can make a real difference.”

Heatmaps showing possum waxtag results

From our highest initial measure in April 2023

To our most recent measure in October 2025.

As well as the waxtag results, the camera results are also showing a reduction in possums, with the latest October measure seeing the lowest number of possums since beginning the camera monitoring.  Although there was a spike in May 2025, this seems to have been caused by a few individuals learning to access the mayonnaise lure and returning each night, rather than an actual increase in the possum population.

A community effort

These results are made possible through a broad and committed community effort. Alongside the core partnership between Whakatipu Wildlife Trust and Southern Lakes Sanctuary supported by dozens of volunteers, groups like Predator Free Arrowtown, Coronet Face Trapping Group, Te Tapu o Tāne, NZSki, Soho Property Ltd and Treespace are all actively trapping across the landscape

This work is further strengthened by generous financial support from The Hills, the late Sir Michael Hill and his family, Rod Drury/TRAC and QLDC. Southern Lakes Sanctuary has provided specialist knowledge and coordination to integrate trapping and monitoring at a landscape scale.

This momentum also complements the significant mahi of other landholders and community groups. Soho Property Ltd has continued its extensive animal pest control programme across the Mahu Whenua Covenants, removing 2,344 goats and 156 pigs in 2025. In partnership with QLDC, they worked to clear the hill behind the Coronet Forest block, eliminating a further 289 goats from council land in two targeted shoots.

Community groups are also delivering long-term gains for biodiversity. Arrowtown Choppers and volunteers have helped clear around 100 hectares of wilding pines (in addition to the sustained work by Wakatipu Wilding Control Group and Soho Property Ltd), while large-scale native planting is rebuilding habitat across the catchment.

Arrowtown Choppers have led the planting of more than 35,000 native plants, including 29,000 along the Sawpit Gully Track and over 6,000 trees in Bush Creek, planted with the help of Arrowtown School and local Scouts. Whakatipu Reforestation Trust have also planted more than 4,000 native plants around Bush Creek near the Chinese Village. Together, this work is restoring forest structure and creating habitat that will support even more abundant native birdlife over time.

Arrowtown Choppers planting day, Sawpit Gully

Anna Harding-Shaw, Executive Director of Whakatipu Wildlife Trust, says: “This is exactly the kind of outcome we hope for when communities, volunteers, landowners and conservation organisations work together. Hearing locals tell us they’re seeing more native birds in the area shows the real, positive impact of sustained predator control.”

The outcome: safer habitats for native birds, healthier forests and a visible shift toward ecological recovery.

Keen to get involved? Visit

https://whakatipuwildlifetrust.org.nz/ or https://arrowtownchoppers.co.nz/

What began as a bold response to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into one of the Southern Lakes’ most inspiring conservation success stories. 

GSD Workforce – the conservation project delivery agency founded by AJ Hackett Bungy NZ – has officially begun its next chapter under the umbrella of Southern Lakes Sanctuary. The transition marks the natural evolution of a four-year partnership that has helped protect landscapes, species and communities across the region. 

A pandemic idea that became a conservation force 

GSD (Good Safe Deeds) was born during the height of COVID-19, when AJ Hackett Bungy NZ (AJHBNZ) co-founder Henry van Asch saw an opportunity to retain skilled local workers displaced from tourism and redirect their expertise toward community and environmental projects. Supported through the Jobs for Nature programme, GSD quickly became a lifeline – providing jobs while accelerating vital conservation delivery. 

Since then, GSD’s team has been at the heart of Southern Lakes Sanctuary’s operations, working across the Whakatipu, Wānaka and Hāwea catchments on predator control, threatened species recovery, biodiversity monitoring and community engagement. This work has helped protect native species and rebuild ecological resilience at a landscape scale. 

Lake Whakatipu © Ben Carson

How Bungy helped us go bigger, faster 

By tapping into AJHBNZ’s existing business infrastructure – workshops, offices, IT systems, and vehicles – GSD was able to upscale Southern Lakes Sanctuary’s field delivery far faster than would have been possible otherwise. The relationship has been strengthened by a blend of government and private support, including $300,000 in cash donations from AJHBNZ. 

Southern Lakes Sanctuary CEO Paul Kavanagh says the impact has been transformative. 

“AJ Hackett Bungy’s backing was truly catalytic. Their investment, business acumen and belief in what we were trying to achieve gave us the foundation to grow into a sustainable organisation capable of delivering large-scale conservation impact.” 

With GSD now formally part of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust, the partnership continues. AJHBNZ will remain an active supporter through ongoing donations, equipment, office resources and community initiatives. 

“We’re incredibly grateful for their continued partnership and support as we bring GSD into the Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust. Together, we’re building on an extraordinary legacy of innovation and community collaboration,” says Kavanagh. 

Four years of impact across the Southern Lakes 

GSD’s 25-strong local workforce has delivered extraordinary results across the region. Working in partnership with Southern Lakes Sanctuary, the team has: 

• installed more than 6,700 new traps and bait stations since 2022, bringing the network to over 13,000 across the landscape 

• supported the return of takahē to the Rees Valley and mohua to the Matukituki 

• provided stable employment for skilled workers during a period of major economic disruption 
• carried out extensive conservation mahi in some of the region’s most loved places across the Southern Lakes 

AJ Hackett Bungy CEO, David Mitchell at takahē release in the Rees Valley. Credit: RealNZ

Building the future together 

AJHBNZ co-founder Henry van Asch says bringing GSD into Southern Lakes Sanctuary is a natural evolution of the journey so far. 

“GSD is a great example of how collaboration between businesses and communities can address a need and create lasting impact. What began as a response to a challenging time has evolved into a sustainable, community-driven success story.”  

With GSD now part of Southern Lakes Sanctuary, the momentum continues. More species supported. More landscapes protected. More communities connected to conservation. 

A success story built by business, community and a belief in doing good – together.