Natureland Zoo Natureland Zoo closing

I've never been there. It appears to be just your typical small local zoo. I know it has/had small-clawed otters, meerkats, wallabies, alpacas and llamas, capuchins, tuatara, and a variety of aviary birds and farm-stock.
 
I had never heard of this place before...
 
It looks like the zoo may not be closed . . a few parties have expressed interest in working to save the place.
 
heck, i'd pay 6 bucks for a kid if i got to see otters and monkeys. . . and it is noted for it's allowing kids to touch many of the animals. but the collection is not all that great.
 
I was just talking to a Nelsonite yesterday. The zoo is apparently very popular in Nelson and is a great place to take the kids. There has it seems been a bit of outcry over its potential closure, so it may stay open after all.
 
I hope so, or they could send Ricky the special needs capuchin to me!
 
New aviary on track - news - nelson-mail | Stuff.co.nz
Nelson's Natureland zoo is in line for a new-look walk-through aviary, but further developments there are uncertain, the park's management says.

Christchurch-based Orana Wildlife Trust, which took over at Natureland in 2008, says it is rethinking its short-term planning because of a drop in visitor numbers and hence revenue, and distractions caused by the Canterbury earthquake.

While it is working on plans to renovate the aviary, possibly including introducing New Zealand brown teal, other projects will depend on public support for the park, said marketing and visitor services manager Nathan Hawke.

The Orana trust won the contract to run the park after the Nelson City Council pulled back from plans to close it in 2008 because of rising costs and falling patronage.

Visitor numbers then climbed 6 per cent in 2009, but fell by 6 per cent last year and the park recorded a $60,000 loss, Mr Hawke said. He would not say what visitor numbers were, describing that as commercially sensitive.

The council continues to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to the park, where equipment and fittings have been replaced or upgraded, and new meerkat and porcupine exhibits opened.

A recent visitor survey showed that the capuchin monkeys are the most popular animal in Natureland, followed by the meerkats.

"The farmyard area continues to be popular, particularly with young children who can help feed many of the animals. The new porcupine exhibit has been an important addition," Mr Hawke said.

Among various changes to the running of the park, the trust has introduced a Ministry of Education "learning experiences outside the classroom" contract, which has attracted keen interest from schools.

Natureland operations manager Gail Sutton, whose involvement there extends more than 20 years, said the learning programme was used by a range of students from new entrants to tertiary level. She enjoyed watching them gain increased levels of understanding about different species and conservation through the programmes tailored to each age group.

A highlight for her in the last two years had been her inclusion in part of a bigger management team, and the support shown to Natureland by the Nelson community.

Mr Hawke said the trust would be in a better position to comment on future developments in the next few months, and otters would definitely make a return to Natureland.

Despite the recent disruption to the Orana trust's planning caused by the earthquake, things were returning to normal.

"This is a good reminder that the best way for local people to keep Natureland going is to visit," he said.

NATURELAND

Natureland is run by Orana Wildlife Trust on reserve land at Tahunanui owned by Nelson City Council.

The trust pays an annual rent of $10 to the council. Nelson city contributed $200,000 in 2009 and $175,000 in 2010. This year ratepayers will fund the park $150,000 and no less than that in following years.

The council also set aside $160,000 in the first year for essential renewals and improvements and added 2200 square metres to the lease. To date, $150,000 has been spent building new meerkat and porcupine exhibits.
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A $60.000 loss in 2010, seems like small tuppence compared to what the site is worth financially to the Nelson area or its community.

Looking at Nelson Council subventions' history you can almost begin to predict a shortfall figure to the level mentioned for 2010. With that in mind, I remain - unequivocally - an advocate for community spending and involvement of councils in the financial side of running a zoo facility/ experience and subventions.
 
It does add for a tough future...

Orana WT cannot underwrite it forever...
 
NZ Jeremy said:
It does add for a tough future...
Orana WT cannot underwrite it forever...
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I was not implying anything of that sort. Just that for a few dollars less the Council lets the facility slip, including the entire grounds, exhibitry and animal collection. If you add up the figures over the figures, what the site is worth in financials inclusive of everyone and everything, it looks a like wasting a capital investment made in and through the years.

Coming from Aotearoa one should understand that more than economic, but holistic approach to perceiving the world around us. It is not for a lack of capital, but a lack of vision and political will if this facility goes to waste.
 
Future of Natureland again in doubt - nelson-mail | Stuff.co.nz
30 June 2011

The future of Nelson's Natureland zoo is once more on the brink, as its parent struggles to survive the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes and fewer people visit.

"The success of Natureland is tied to Orana Park and the mothership is not in good shape," Orana Wildlife Trust chief executive Lynn Anderson told the Nelson Mail.

The Christchurch-based Orana Wildlife Trust trust came to Natureland's rescue in 2008 after the Nelson City Council sparked public outrage when it announced it planned to close the ailing zoo. The move came on advice from former Natureland operator the Abel Tasman Gateway Trust that it was struggling financially and could not continue to run the zoo on the council-owned reserve.

A groundswell of public support helped save Natureland, and the same is needed now if it is to grow and survive, management says.

By the end of May visitors to Natureland, made up mainly of locals, were down 14 per cent on the previous year.

"We are of the view that perhaps now that the hype has gone, perhaps the community is taking for granted it will always be there, but this exposes Orana Park to incurring losses we can't sustain. The community can't afford to be complacent because Natureland's future rests on people visiting," Ms Anderson said.

Natureland operations manager Gail Sutton said it had potential for a huge future with its education and conservation programmes but if Nelson did not support it, then she was not sure. Staff had taken on more administration to lighten the load on Orana Park, which had reduced staff. Natureland had also cut its budget and reverted to doing maintenance in-house but no staff cuts were planned at this point.

Ms Anderson said the trust's operation of Orana Park, and ultimately Natureland, had been propped up by a major cost-cutting exercise, including the loss of 10 fulltime equivalent jobs through resignation and redundancy, and cuts to various operations.

Orana Park's annual $2.5 million operating cost has been cut by $600,000 to cope with 20 to 40 per cent fewer numbers through the gate.

"We are down by thousands. In January, we might see 18,000 through the gate, and May about 5000, but that's 20 per cent down this year."

Ms Anderson said typically 45 per cent of the park's visitors were people from elsewhere around New Zealand and overseas, but Christchurch is "not an attractive place to visit" right now and there is a serious accommodation shortage.

The big earthquakes earlier this month set back the recovery, but Orana did not plan to pull back from Natureland at the moment. However, it was important to have discussions with the council, Ms Anderson said.
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The city council discussed Natureland in the public-excluded session of a recent council meeting. Council parks and facilities manager Paul McArthur said yesterday the trust advised the council of its lower capacity to deliver services and undertake various improvements according to its funding agreement.

The council agreed in 2008 to provide the wildlife trust with the Natureland site in Tahunanui for 20 years and the trust would pay an annual rental of $10. Nelson ratepayers contributed $200,000 in the first year, $175,000 in the second year, $150,000 in the third year, and no less than that in following years. The council also set aside $160,000 in the first year for essential renewals and improvements. Mr McArthur said not all of that amount had been used.

Ms Sutton said it was not expected that Natureland would develop any new exhibits over the next couple of years. "We are in a holding pattern."

A new year for annual membership to Natureland starts tomorrow which allows members to visit as often as they like until June 2012.
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