"The moment the sign comes down people are going to think I'm not operating any more. I feel a bit disheartened, like I've been cut out. It matters because people see the SPCA sign. I just wanted to be part of a good cause and be recognised in the community."
Johnson, 35, and her 8-year-old son have rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of animals on their Matakana property.
This week she had 13 dogs, 11 ducks, 10 chickens, a cockatoo and a mynah in her care.
Warkworth vet Ross Lynch provides his services to BirdWing free of charge, and the Farm and Lifestyle Centre, also in Warkworth, donates feed, but costs still topped roughly $80 a week, Johnson said.
She received a small amount of money from the SPCA last year - SPCA Auckland executive director Bob Kerridge put it at around $100 but otherwise she paid the costs out of her own pocket.
Kerridge said BirdWing was dropped because there was less than $1,000 in its account, it had no donations coming in and the number of qualified volunteers willing to take injured birds had halved.
The leftover money was given to North Shore woman, Sylvia Durrant, who has been rescuing birds for 25 years, Kerridge said.
The decision was no reflection on Johnson's efforts, he said.
"She's quietly been doing a good job rescuing and rehabilitating for a number of years."
Birds would continue to be sent to volunteers such as Johnson and Durrant, but the SPCA name must be removed from their operations.
The BirdWing section of the sign could remain, he said.
The SPCA started BirdWing several years ago after another volunteer organisation, Bird Rescue, shut down because of lack of funds.
It was revived about five years ago when a large bequest was made, and members who had switched to BirdWing went back to Bird Rescue.
