Orana Park the 'outlier' with other NZ zoos granted millions from local councils

Friday, 3 May 2024

Canterbury’s Orana Wildlife Park has more than 1000 animals in the facility, which costs $5.1m annually to run.

Orana Park is one of the big four zoos in the country, and the only one in the South Island, but it receives just $250,000 each year from the local council, while the others get millions.

Orana Wildlife Park signalled fears of an “inevitable demise” in its bid for more funding in the Christchurch City Council’s long-term plan (LTP).

Orana Wildlife Park chief executive Lynn Anderson said the park was forecasting a $1 million loss this financial year. Its annual operating cost is $5.1m.

Meanwhile, the other zoos in the North Island receive millions each year from their local ratepayers - one even had an extra $348,000 bail out.

Wellington Zoo was granted $4.1m in funding from Wellington City Council in 2023/24 towards its $10m operating budget. The trust running the zoo is a council-controlled company. It also received capital funding from the Wellington council to the tune of $1.3m for the renewal of assets over the same period.

Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park says it will need $1.5m in funding from the council every year if its to stave off an 'inevitable demise'. (First published April 16, 2024)

Hamilton Zoo is owned, operated and fully funded by Hamilton City Council. Public funding covered approximately $1m of its $3.8m annual operating costs, after revenue of $2.8m came in through ticket sales and other grants.

Auckland Zoo received $5.5m in local ratepayer funding towards its $19m annual operating cost in 2023/24. The zoo is part of Tātaki Auckland Unlimited - a council controlled organisation. It also had a “significant contribution” towards maintenance and capital renewals over the past 10 years, which varied around $15-18m per year.

The ratepayers contribution meant the zoo was able to be more accessible for all Auckland communities by subsidising ticket prices by $10 for Aucklanders, zoo director Kevin Buley said.

Orana Park, owned and operated by a registered charitable trust rather than by council controlled organisations, submitted to the council’s long-term plan seeking a staged increase in funding from $500,000 in the first year, $1 million in the second year, and $1.5m in the third year and beyond.

It was not asking the council for capital funding which other regional zoos also receive.

Anderson was “urging” the council and the community to back the park. Until 2018, visitor income at Orana covered 90% of annual operating costs; visitor income now only covered 65% of annual operating costs.

“The funding and support that the other three major zoos in the North Island receive clearly speaks that our other major cities all really value their zoos as key conservation organisations,” she said.

Orana’s history of fundraising to help keep the park running included $6m raised for its Great Apes centre bringing New Zealand's only gorillas to Christchurch. This was something to be proud of, Anderson said.

Orana Park fundraised $6m to built its Great Apes centre and bring New Zealand’s only gorillas to Christchurch.

But having to raise money for major maintenance and improvements on top of high operational costs, “just becomes an impossible target”.

The zoo had received a $400,000 one-off grant from the council’s Better Off fund - the now-abandoned Three Waters reform support package - reducing a feared $1.5m deficity to $1m.

“We are incredibly grateful for it,” Anderson said, but it isn’t enough.

Orana Wildlife Park chief executive Lynn Anderson pictured feeding giraffes, said ongoing funding support is needed to “halt our inevitable demise”.

When the Wellington Zoo experienced a $348,000 deficit last year, its local council bailed them out and covered the loss with extra funding, said its chief financial officer Daniel Warsaw.

He said the zoo’s costs had increased by 30% since 2018/2019 (pre-Covid) while revenue had increased by 25%. Each of the four major zoos acknowledged that increasing operational costs had affected them in recent years.

“Orana is an outlier… they’re the only large zoo in the country that isn’t supported to the same level by their local council so it is a challenge,” Warsaw said.

Zoos are important places for wildlife conservation, and for people to connect with friends, family and with nature, said Auckland zoo director Kevin Buley. (File photo of Orana)

About 95% of costs involved were fixed which meant there was “little discretion in terms of levers to pull” to save costs, Warsaw said.

Auckland Zoo’s director Buley said zoos benefited not only wildlife conservation, but also “people’s well-being” by connecting with nature. “Without viable zoos we would lose both of those things,” he said.

Canterbury’s other major animal park, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, is a private business that does not receive council funding - its operational costs are covered by retail and gate sales.

Anderson said the bottom line was whether or not Orana Wildlife Park was a priority for the city of Christchurch, “because our current funding model is simply not sustainable”.

Nearly 7000 people provided feedback on the council’s draft LTP - about three times as many as in 2021, when the last plan was created.

Other Christchurch projects that have suggested they will have to fold without new investment included the Arts Centre - and the Christ Church Cathedral.

The process for public submissions are being heard in person in May with Orana due to speak today. The council debate and final approval of the plan would be in June.