Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao acknowledges the long association mana whenua have with the inner west of Tāmaki Makaurau, its maunga, its awa and its moana.
Urban Ark respects Māori culture and aspires to engage in reciprocal partnership to ensure the tikanga embedded in te ao Māori informs our decisions and actions.
Some of our member groups work closely with the Tūpuna Maunga Authority on local maunga Maungawhau / Mt Eden and Ōwairaka / Mt Albert, while others advocate for the main awa which run through the region – Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek and Waitītiko / Meola Creek. We seek opportunities with mana whenua to incorporate mātauranga Māori into everything we do.
Our Supporters
A big thank you to all our amazing partners. We couldn’t do it without you.
Auckland Zoo
Urban Ark’s key logistical partner and the hub of our network of groups is Auckland Zoo. The Zoo provides office support and meeting space, key industry connections and a vast amount of specialist expertise.
Auckland Zoo is a not-for-profit wildlife conservation science organisation dedicated to building a future for wildlife. As kaitiaki of the Zoo and the environment, Auckland Zoo leads efforts to protect the world’s natural environments and the animals that live in them. The Zoo’s full time pest management team is essential to achieving its objectives and has an important role to play in helping us achieve a Pest Free Auckland. Zoo staff provide their expertise to help make an impact beyond the Zoo’s boundary across Tāmaki Makaurau.
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Auckland Council and Pest Free Auckland
Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao is grateful for the assistance of Auckland Council and it staff for support both logistical and financial. Auckland Council have provided funding for coordination and facilitation, supported our efforts to get traps out across the inner west of Tāmaki Makaurau and provided all sorts of ancillary services that would be nearly impossible to do ourselves. Thanks too for the networking events which allow us to forge connections with like-minded groups across the city.
Waitematā Local Board
Around a third of the Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao area falls within the Waitematā Local Board area. Thanks to financial and networking support from the local board we continue to be able to support the volunteer groups that are active across the region.
Albert-Eden Local Board
Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao operates across most of the Albert-Eden Local Board area. Thanks to financial and networking support from the local board we continue to be able to support the volunteer groups that are active across the region.
Womenzshed
Supplying traps to our volunteer community groups is part of Urban Ark’s core business. The wonderful SHEddies at Womenzshed run workshops to teach women wood and metal-working skills which they put to good use building tunnels which make our traps both safe for small hands and contribute to humane trapping.
Auckland Central Community Shed
The (mostly) guys at the Auckland Central Community Shed share a workshop space at the Gribblehirst Hub with the WomenzShed and do similarly sterling work providing Urban Ark with great safety tunnels for the rat traps we get out into the community.
Chapman Tripp
Thanks to assistance of our legal support partner, Urban Ark – Manawa Taiao became a charitable trust.