Rangitoto to become bird-sanctuary of choice for PR stunts

The Green Party believe that there is a great economic opportunity for the Department of Conservation in making Rangitoto and Motutapu islands into sanctuaries for endangered birds species.

The Green Party believe that the new sanctuary will bring added value to ‘guerrilla marketing’ stunts and this will generate extra revenue for the Department of Conservation who could charge premium rates for the privilege of the islands’ use.

Rangitoto, New Zealand’s largest pohutukawa forest, is already an attractive location for staging hilarious and ‘explosive’ marketing pranks.

“Rangitoto could well become the off-shore sanctuary of choice for imaginative and amusing marketing staff, given the extra publicity that detonating tonnes of fireworks and explosives in an endangered bird sanctuary will generate,” says Green Party Conservation Spokesperson Metiria Turei.

“I hope that in their feasibility study into the sanctuary, the Department of Conservation factor in the additional demand on the islands’ infrastructure that this could generate.

"Perhaps DoC could consider a landing ramp and pathway to a specified detonation site, to minimise the impact on the islands’ flora and fauna.

“They might consider adding lighting to assist these guerrilla marketers in their entertaining night-time pranks, although admittedly, this might be a little off putting to the nocturnal Kiwi.

“But on the other hand, we could all enjoy the ensuing fun and I’m sure after a while the Kiwi and other endangered birds would come to see the humour evident to the rest of New Zealand”.

“All joking aside, the Green Party are very enthusiastic about the possibility of the islands becoming the Hauraki Gulf’s largest pest-free island territory,” says Mrs Turei.