Hiking New Zealand is founded and run by people who treasure New Zealand's natural environment and wildlife. We wish to put something back into the environment we get so much pleasure from. With this in mind, since October 1998, we have been donating $5 per safari client into a Wildlife Research Fund which to date has come to over $50 000.
The fund has been supporting the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust which among things help with the preservation of one of the world's rarest marine dolphins, the Hector's dolphin, which is only found off the NZ coast. These rare and playful dolphins are often viewed on our backpacking adventure tours and we hope they will still be around in the years to come.
Of 77 species of whales and dolphins worldwide, 35 are recorded off the coast of NZ. We also have some of the world's most accessible whale and dolphin populations making our waters a prime spot for research.
The New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust is committed to the conservation, biology and ecology of whales and dolphins. Their focus is not just on gathering knowledge but on finding solutions to problems. With this in mind they have projects in the following areas:
A current priority of the trust is research into the North Island Hector's dolphin which is genetically distinct from the South Island variety. They currently number less than 100 individuals and are at risk due to gill net fishing.
You can find out more about their work at:
New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust