John MacDonald: Orana Park - another zoo unable to pay its way

Author: John MacDonald,
Publish Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2026, 12:36pm

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The drive through lion reserve has been at Orana Wildlife Park, on the western outskirts of the city, since 1976. Photo / NZ Herald

I think Orana Park has had its day.

And, if our local councils are going to pour any more money into it, it should be money to help wind it down and find new homes for the animals. And then that’s it.

That’s the only involvement I think is warranted.

But a decision is going to have to be made soon. Because, as the park has announced, it’s on track to run out of cash by the end of March and needs to find $4.1 million by then to keep paying the bills.

Orana Park says it will try to raise some of the money itself. But it’s going to be asking our local councils for help.

And, already, city councillor Aaron Keown is saying that he thinks Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri should just front up with the whole $4.1 million.

He says the money could come from ratepayers paying a targeted rate, similar to what we already pay to support Canterbury Museum.

He says: "There's so many places councils could save money and then put it into breeding programmes so we don't have to put down those animals and close up the park because that's your alternative to not funding it properly."

The animal welfare people, though, feel differently about it. They’re saying today that zoos are no longer affordable and we should get rid of them.

They say places like Orana Park are outdated and not good for the animals.

I’m somewhere in the middle between the animal welfare crew and Aaron Keown.

Which is why I’d be very happy for our local councils giving Orana Park the money needed to re-home the animals elsewhere.

Which could be Auckland Zoo, for example. But, in a country the size of New Zealand, I think one national zoo is all we need.

Of course, there will be no shortage of people who will feel all nostalgic about Orana Park and will think it should be saved at all cost.

I never went there during the years when you could drive your car through the lion enclosure. That seemed pretty weird to me.

That all started in 1976 and finished in 1995 and I reckon most of the people who will want to save Orana Park will be looking at it all nostalgically.

Because, the times I’ve been there, the lions and the giraffes have been impressive. But I think the world has moved on.

If there is a need of any sort, it would be the animal breeding work that gets done. The way Aaron Keown puts it, you’d think Orana Park is the only breeding programme in the world.

But it’s not. Which is why I think that, if ratepayers are going to put more money into Orana Park, it should just be to tide it over until all the animals have got new homes to go to.

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