Ngā Manu’s Nocturnal House has recently had an upgrade thanks to a generous donation of $1,500 via the Nikau Kāpiti Fund. A donor used Nikau Foundation to make a pass-through grant to the nature reserve to help with the $7,500 cost of installing LED “grow lights” in the popular attraction.
Installed by Steve Rose Electrical, The UV lights will be good news for the Kiwis and the public.
Mr Rose says the primary purpose of the lights is to get close to natural for the Kiwis and the plants.
Ngā Manu’s Manager, Matu Booth was delighted to hear about the unexpected donation.
“Kiwi houses are notoriously difficult environments in which to keep plants alive. The LEDs provide enough light for photosynthesis to occur without producing too much heat or using a lot of electricity. We have now planted up the enclosure with many species that the kiwi will enjoy probing around in.”
Mr Booth says the LEDs were part of a wider upgrade for the nocturnal house which included the installation of an air conditioning system to keep air circulating through the enclosure, as well as a stream and cascade to introduce water and humidity into the birds’ environment.
Nikau Foundation General Manager Louise Parkin says as part of the community foundation model, Nikau Foundation plays an important role in bringing worthy projects like Ngā Manu to the attention of generous individuals as part of our Donor Advisory Service.
“In this case a Kāpiti-based donor was able to make an anonymous donation via the Nikau Kāpiti Fund which is a district fund designed especially for local residents to give-where-they-live.
The Foundation also administers Ngā Manu’s endowment fund which will provide long-term financial stability for the Reserve and welcomes donations for those who love Ngā Manu and want to see it thrive in the future.
See: ngamanu.co.nz/
If you want to leave a gift to Ngā Manu in your will, please contact Adrienne Bushell ([email protected] or 04 381 2224) before the end of September to arrange a free will or change to your current will for free as part of the Wills Month campaign.
