Kia ora,

It's been a busy few months at Project Island Song to round off another busy year! Thank you to everyone who has been part of the project this year, we wish all of you a Meri Kirihimete, and a well-earned holiday!

From 1st to 12th December 2024 we were absolutely delighted to have 8 determined walkers and runners (plus one determined guide dog) take on the 12ks of Christmas challenge to raise vital funds for Project Island Song.

Between them, Laura, Alex, William, Tracey, Maryanne, Moana, Vinnie, and Anika, covered an incredible 1,086km over 12 days.

Thanks to their fantastic efforts and the generosity of their many sponsors, we have smashed our fundraising target of $12,000, with the total currently sitting at over $14,500!

This is an unbelievable achievement, and we are extremely grateful to everyone who has participated in or supported this event.

If you haven't donated yet to support our runners, it's not too late to celebrate their mahi! Our Give a Little page is still open for now – can you help us reach $15,000?

Hopefully many of you will get the chance to head out to the islands and enjoy the wildlife this summer.

We all want to ensure the islands remain pest-free over this busy summer period.

If you're visiting Ipipiri this summer, please give your gear the all clear by checking for pests before you leave the mainland. Bags, boats, kayaks, and camping gear are all prime locations for stowaways including rodents, plague skinks, and Argentine ants, while your shoes could carry weed seeds or Kauri dieback.

To find out how you can make sure you, and the islands, remain pest-free, head to our new Biosecurity page for some simple steps to follow.

Did you know that gifts in wills are the single biggest source of charitable donations globally?

Yet in Aotearoa New Zealand, only around 6% of us currently have a charitable contribution confirmed in our will.

We're excited to be taking part in an information evening on Friday 24th January for people to come and learn how you can leave a legacy for the Bay of Islands and its people that lasts long after you are gone.

Andrew Golightly, partner in MWIS Lawyers, will explain how to include a gift in your will, with various options to best suit your circumstances, simplify the process to make it easily understood for all of us, and answer your questions.

Alongside the Duffus Memorial Trust and Russell RSA, we will be there to share how a gift in your will could make a long-term impact in our local community.

Friday 24th January 2025, 4.30 - 5.30pm
Russell RSA, 1 Chapel Street, Russell

Free to come along and all welcome.

If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, our Annual Report for 2023/24 is now available on our website, providing a summary of the Project's achievements during this period, saying farewell to long-serving General Manager, Richard Robbins, and looking ahead to what the future will bring.

Click here or on the image below to open or download the Annual Report.

We still have a handful of our 2025 Birds of the Bay of Islands calendars in the office that you can order through our website.

If you haven't ordered yours yet, and would like your calendars to be posted before Christmas, please make sure you place your order by midday on Thursday 19th. Orders placed after that will be shipped in the new year.

We're hugely grateful to all of our vendors for their support again this year, and are delighted to have a number of new vendors now selling calendars since our last newsletter. You can now also pick up calendars at:

- Pompallier Mission and Printery, Russell
- Blue River Orchard in Waipapa (great excuse to stop in for blueberry ice cream, if you needed one!)
- the Stone Store, Kerikeri
- Orongo Bay Holiday Park, Russell