A local organisation with a momentous vision has asked Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) for its continued support. 

The Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust is a consortium of local conservation groups with the shared goal of enclosing a 660,000ha portion of Southern Lakes country to create a predator-free sanctuary.

The trust, which was officially formed in early 2021, received almost $3M in funding from the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Jobs for Nature programme later that same year. 

Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust trustee Leslie Van Gelder said the funding has allowed the trust to begin a “joint job creation and conservation project designed to protect 155,960ha of the Queenstown Lakes District from the invasive species of rats, possums, and mustelids”.

The trust currently has 12 full-time staff working across the district and, over the three-year lifespan of the fund, it will create more than 39 full-time jobs. 

The additional volunteer hours provided by the 90 community groups, landowners and businesses supporting the trust is estimated to be valued at over $1.8M per year. 

The Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust aims to create a predator free sanctuary which would stretch from Makarora to Kingston.

“There’s so much synergy going on and that’s the part that’s really exciting,” Leslie told QLDC at its Annual Plan hearing of submissions late last month. 

The work from the Jobs for Nature funding was “only the beginning”, Leslie said.

“From this initial platform we are now working towards funding our larger 10-20 year $30M project.”

Leslie thanked QLDC for its support so far, which she said had included the coordination of a Workforce Alliance pilot; taking leadership to help the trust create partnerships during Covid-19; the facilitation of a governance workshop for the trust; and support of conservation standards training.

“It is this leadership, support, and willingness to partner with us that has been critical over the last year and will continue to be so in the years to come, and we would like to formally acknowledge our appreciation for QLDC’s support for our work,” Leslie said.

She said the trust was not asking for funding at this point, instead for QLDC to “formally signal its willingness” to work with the trust to meet its goals and to come on board in coming years as a funding partner.

Otago Regional Council (ORC) councillor Alexa Forbes attended a recent workshop hosted by the Southern Lakes Sanctuary Trust.

“The work of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary over the past two years has brought together more than 80 different conservation minded groups to work together towards a grand vision for the Southern Lakes region,” she said. 

“It was amazing to see the collaboration of these different groups at the workshop and I have no doubt about the potential and success of the programme.”

PHOTOS: Supplied