Bringing the iconic sound of Tūī back to Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri backyards through a major habitat restoration programme.

Launched in 2019, our goal was initially to establish a corridor of Tūī friendly vegetation between the Port Hills and the central city. 

Click here to access a video and listen to Laura Molles talk about the project.

The Tūī Corridor project was formed through a partnership between Meridian Energy and The Christchurch Foundation, the first project to be rolled out under our  ‘Stronger, Greener Christchurch’ joint programme. This programme aims to make greater Ōtautahi Christchurch a better place to live through renewable energy and sustainability initiatives.

Waitaha Canterbury is the only Region in New Zealand where the birds are not common. 

Having Tūī as regular visitors to Christchurch and the plains once again is something all of us can work towards. The more residents that plant Tūī tucker in their backyards, the more successful this project will be.

Initally Meridian and the Foundation planted islands of Tūī vegetation in greater Ōtautahi Christchurch twice a year, in consultation with local communities, forming a corridor between Akaroa and central Christchurch.

Click here to see where we have planted so far! 

A project which has exceeded expectations 
 
Initally we envisaged initial plantings of around 10,000 native plants, to be followed with more plantings if successful over the next 2-3 years. 

This goal was reached as a result of the large-scale community participation generated by the initial plantings. 

More than 30,000 individual plants have been planted by more than 33 groups with over 200 volunteers. 

The Tūī corridor has also sparked conversations and encouraged people to think about what they can do to help bring native bird life back to Christchurch and the surrounding districts. 

So what next? Pest management, weed management and infill planting.

Now need your help to keep the momentum going as our partnership on this project with Meridian has come to an end.

Contact us if your business or you want to help us take this programme much further.

Resources

Tūī tucker planting list thanks to the Banks Peninsular Conservation Trust.

Click here to view videos on our project.

University of Canterbury Students Research

Four students from the University of Canterbury conducted research for their GEOG309 Project on Bringing Tūī Back to Ōtautahi Christchurch. 

The research will help us make informed decisions on where to plant and how to ensure the great tūī come back is successful.

You can view their project presentation and the full report here.