KEY POINTS:
They say birds of a feather flock together, so it's no wonder that so many people committed to preserving New Zealand's natural heritage are naturally drawn to Tiritiri Matangi.
The 220ha island, 30km northeast of Auckland, is one of New Zealand's most important conservation projects.
Almost 80 species
of birds have been seen on or near the island, with endangered breeds introduced or
re-introduced including the little spotted kiwi, takahe and brown teal.
Their flourishing existence is largely down to the 400 unpaid members of the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi group. They have worked alongside the Department of Conservation to eradicate mammalian predators and replant native bush lost during more than a century of farming.
Between 1984 and 1994, volunteers planted up to 300,000 trees, raising native bush coverage on the island - whose name means "tossed by the wind" - from 5 to 60 per cent.
Since then at least one species of bird has been introduced every year, with tuatara also added in 2003.
The group's next aim is to successfully introduce the rifleman from Little Barrier Island.
"Conserving what we have on the island takes a lot of time for a lot of people," said supporters group chairman Peter Lee.
"There are only 1300 brown teal and 230 takahe left in the world and 13 takahe live on Tiritiri. If even a few of them were lost, it could be disastrous for the entire species."
Since the little spotted kiwi - the rarest of the species - were introduced, the population has grown to more than 60 birds from about 30 in 2002.
"As they are our national bird, it is a statistic to be proud of," said Lee. "And having them thrive on Auckland's doorstep is fantastic."
The High Flyers awards provides successful applicants free overseas travel to further their work.
Lee applied to send the supporters group's sole paid employee to visit and research key related conservation projects in Britain.
"We were delighted when we won because competition is tough," he said. "This means we will be able to make a significant jump forward in generating revenues and translocating further species to the island.
"We hope we can to continue to make a home for species that is of vital national importance."
Island access is limited, but ferries departing daily from Gulf Harbour and downtown Auckland allow 150 visitors a day.
Lee says visitors can walk an extensive network of tracks to watch the native birds in their very own natural habitat.
"We keep our guided tours cheap and no visit to Auckland would be complete without a trip to Tiritiri Matangi." said Lee.
The other recipients of the High Flyers awards were United North Piha Lifeguard Service, Crosspower Ministries, Auckland Regional Migrant Services, Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust and Diabetes NZ Auckland.
