Celebrating 10 years of the fence
It took nearly three years to design and cost over $2 million to build. But in the ten years our fence has been in place, only three known mammal incursions have taken place – a remarkable success that has exceeded all expectations. Alan Dicks looks at the evolution of a Wellington landmark.
If you’re looking for an idea of how seriously New Zealanders treat nature conservation, it doesn’t get more tangible than our fence. More than two metres high, and nearly nine kilometres long, it’s a classic bit of Kiwi ingenuity.
For at least 700 years, we have seen a steady loss of species from the New Zealand mainland, either destined to eek out a fragile existence on offshore islands or disappearing forever. The development of a mammal-proof fence was the first real breakthrough in reversing this decline, by providing a viable option for re-establishing natural populations of iconic species like tuatara, little spotted kiwi and saddleback on the mainland.
Over the years, it has attracted a number of nicknames, including ‘the Great Wall of Karori’ and ‘Jurassic Park’. Initially seen by some of our neighbours as an eyesore, it is now a Wellington landmark. Granted, you can’t quite see it from space, but you can certainly see it from Eastbourne! Perhaps more remarkably, it has been the blueprint for fences the length and breadth of New Zealand and as far afield as Hawai’i and Japan.
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Fence Project Manager Stephen Fuller looks back on the development of our fence.