South Island iwi Ngāti Koata have gifted 130 tuatara to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington to protect the native species. A pōwhiri to welcome Ngāti Koata and the tuatara was hosted by Wellington iwi Te Ātiawa and marked the special occasion.

This is the second gift of its kind by Ngāti Koata to the sanctuary. In 2005 the sanctuary made conservation history when it became home to the mainland’s first wild population of tuatara in more than 200 years.

All the tuatara were from Takapourewa (Stephens Island), which is within the traditional boundaries of Ngāti Koata at the top of the South Island. Te Puni Kōkiri supported this initiative.