Photo: Supplied/ Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
The cavalry has arrived for a beleaguered wildlife sanctuary on the brink of closure.
Pūkaha Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre, on the border of Tararua and Masterton districts, replaced its entire board last month after issuing an urgent plea for financial help.
The new board has now confirmed the doors will stay open after a multi-million-dollar deal was reached with iwi and creditors.
Chair Shane McManaway said the board had worked tirelessly to save one of the country's most "important conservation centres and sanctuaries for endangered wildlife", but it was not "out of the woods completely".
At the heart of the deal was an agreement with Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust to buy Pūkaha's Whare Wānanga complex and take over a $1 million loan from Tararua District Council to the centre.
Trust chair Sonya Rimene said Pūkaha was a taonga (treasure) that held a significant place in the iwi's history.
She said the prospect of its closure had been devastating and the final deal was a "win-win" that would "strengthen our connection to our whenua, taonga, and allow Pūkaha Mt Bruce to pay its creditors and reset its working capital position".
She said there was a still work to do to convert the heads of agreement into a sale and purchase for the Whare Wānanga.
"There's been a lot of sweat, tears and many hui ... to get to this point.
"It was hard, but we were really clear that whatever decisions we make had to be a what we call a 'mokopuna decision' and we think we've got that."
Tararua mayor Tracey Collis said it was a huge relief that Pūkaha had been saved.
She the deal was slightly bittersweet for ratepayers - given the council had agreed to forego $146,000 interest in the loan transfer to Rangitāne - but said the centre was important for conservation and tourism in the area.
Also coming to Pūkaha's aid, was Central Energy Trust with a $1 million grant, and a $200,000 long-term loan from Masterton District Council.
McManaway said the board was hugely grateful for all the support.
He said the next six months would be a challenge as the board and Rangitāne finalised their deal and a new operating model to ensure the centre's viability was established.
Department of Conservation acting director Angus Hulme-Moir said he was thrilled that the sanctuary's important conservation work would continue and was "looking forward to an ongoing and strong relationship with Pūkaha and Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā".
Meanwhile, an engineering firm who hadn't been paid by the wildlife sanctuary for months, was hopeful it would see the $244,000 it was owed.
The stoush over the unpaid invoice had seen Brent Reid, co-director of local Masterton firm BK Engineering, strip the doors off the aviaries he had been contracted to build.
Speaking to RNZ this week, Reid said there was no money in the bank yet, but a lot of promises.
"I think we will get paid, but I'm not celebrating until I see our bank account go up."
