ABOUT Shakespear Open Sanctuary

At the tip of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Shakespear Regional Park has sheltered bays, wetlands, regenerating native forest, cliffs, historic places and a lookout with views second to none.

Close to Tiritiri Matangi island bird sanctuary, Shakespear Regional Park is considered an ideal site to create an open sanctuary: a predator-free haven for native species.

Open public access continues. The hilltops are still farmed, but remaining land areas are being restored to native bush. It is a place for people to enjoy and a haven for native plants and animals.

Pests such as stoats, ferrets, weasels, possums, rabbits, hedgehogs, wild cats, rats and mice destroy our native wildlife and are being removed from the park; the pest-proof fence will stop them returning.

For some time now, volunteers have been helping rangers get rid of these pests to prepare the way for the return of our native birds and other animals.

Since Shakespear was opened in 1972, thousands of trees have been planted by staff and volunteers. Gullies have been fenced off to allow bush to regenerate and a start has been made on restoring the wetlands. The bush restored so far is already attracting birds from other sanctuaries and provides a suitable habitat for ground-dwelling species such as kiwi to be reintroduced once the open sanctuary is clear of pests.

THE PARK

Prior to 1853, when the area was purchased by the Crown, a subtribal group, Ngati Kahu, occupied the end of Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Their main settlement was between Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay, where fortified pa protected the area. The earthwork remains of Maori activity are still obvious in places.

The park is named after the Shakespear family, who were connected to this land from the late 1800s until the Auckland Regional Council acquired it in 1967. The Shakespears built a large homestead on the hill overlooking Te Haruhi Bay around 1910 which is today run by the YMCA as Shakespear Lodge.

THE FENCE

In November 2006, the Auckland Regional Council accepted that the best way to achieve an open sanctuary in Shakespear Park was to build a predator-proof fence. This runs from Army Bay to Okoromai Bay, enclosing an area of about 500 hectares, and all introduced mammalian pests will then be eradicated. There are many such fences around the country, so the expertise is available and the ARC has already tested the idea at Tawharanui Regional Park with great success.

The sanctuary includes most of Shakespear Regional Park and smaller parcels of land owned by the New Zealand Defence Force (this area remains off limits to the public) and the Rodney District Council. The project has the full support of all three land owners and the local community. As you will see from the map, the maximum amount of land is enclosed for a relatively short length of fence. The fence is 1.5 km long and cost $750,000.

Access to the park, New Zealand Defence Force facilities and Rodney District Council’s sewage treatment plant is not restricted by the fence, and the boat ramp and dog walking areas remain outside the fence.