Tuatara returns on Air NZ charter flight to Ngāti Koata

Something to declare? What’s up, 73 tuátaras.

A plane loaded with rare lizard-like reptiles has been successfully delivered on an Air New Zealand charter flight from the bottom of Southland to wild habitats in the Marlborough Sounds.

The tuátara, which had been based on Invercargill’s breeding program at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, was registered on a dedicated flight NZ8952 to Nelson on Wednesday.

As the Kaitiaki of this unique taonga species, the Ngāti Koata iwi helped organize the release of the animals in the reserves. The offspring of a specimen originating in the Sounds, the animals from the breeding program eventually returned home.

The flight was part of a partnership between the national airline and the DOC that has seen 4,000 animals of different species transported to date.

Moving so many animals carefully and with minimal damage was complicated and required the involvement of specialists from the DOC, but also from the University of Victoria and Wellington Zoo.

Louisa Paul, Cultural Director of Ngāti Koata, thanked Ngāi Tahu iwi and others involved in organizing the move:

“Through black and red, work can be completed; through cooperation, work can be completed.”

Evlyn Cook kaumatua from Ngāi Tahu, who traveled with the special consignment, said she was sad to see them leave, but pleased that they were returning to the ancestral lands. “Just as we have shared takahē, they have shared their tuatara,” he said.

Lindsay Hazley, who has overseen reptile farming for Invercargill City Council, saw the flight as a great moment for the conservation program.

“In recent years, new partnerships have been forged with Ngāti Koata and Ngāi Tahu, which has meant that we can return these very special creatures to their ancestral home,” he said.

However, this was not the final chapter of tuatara in Invercargill.

17 remain in the Museum’s care, including Millie, Lucy, and Henry, a centennial reptile and a local celebrity.

Fears that the city would no longer be home to “living dinosaurs” arose after the breeding program was suspended and the main building was condemned for earthquake risks in 2017.

A spokesperson for the Invercargill City Council said that while the building is still off-limits, the public can still see the remaining tuatara viewing windows in Queens Park.

Invercargill can expect a report on the future options of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery by the end of the year.