The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary is a registered charitable trust and a community-based initiative working to create a pest-free wildlife sanctuary close to the Nelson city centre. Integral to creating the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary is construction of a pest-proof fence 14km long, to enclose the area, and to eradicate all the pest mammals within it. Construction of the fence began in October 2014 and is expected to be complete by April 2016. Once in place the pest-proof fence will enable the re-creation of a historic piece of New Zealand which today is only found on a few offshore islands. Resident birds, reptiles and invertebrates will flourish and species previously lost from the area will be re-introduced. The ultimate vision is a place where the whole community can play a practical role in safeguarding our natural heritage. This will be major resource for education and training and a nursery for wildlife that will spread north and west into nearby towns and south and east into the large wilderness of Mt Richmond. The project was launched in 2004 and has been the recipient of strong community involvement and support ever since. Critical to achieving the cultural and environmental success of the project are our hard working and passionate team of volunteers – 350+ active individuals who contribute over 26,000 hours per year.