Thank you for your welcome. I am privileged to be here this morning to share with you this very special occasion for two remarkable, distinctive and critically endangered species, grand and Otago skinks.

They are New Zealand’s largest and most threatened lizards, only found in the schist tor and tussock country of inland Otago, where their wonderfully distinctive markings earned them the name mokomoko.

These mokomoko are taonga and it is fitting that Kāi Tahu representatives farewelled them from Otago and accompanied them to their new home today. While they are living in the North Island, the skinks have been entrusted to the kaitiakitanga – guardianship – of the manawhenua – the Tenths Trust, and the expert care of Wellington Zoo.

DOC’s Otago Conservancy has developed a captive breeding programme for grand and Otago skinks here at Wellington Zoo. The programme will protect the skinks’ genetic diversity and be a backup if these vulnerable creatures ever suffer a catastrophic event in the wild.

As well as Wellington Zoo, private keepers are also involved and with us today: Mike Kean, Dennis Keal and John Greenwood along with the DOC recovery programme’s captive breeding specialist, Lesley Judd.

This collaborative effort that utilises the skills and resources of Wellington Zoo and private breeders is an excellent example of the partnerships that are vital for the preservation of our endangered species.

And the sad fact is that both grand and Otago skinks are now extinct over more than 90 per cent of their former range. We had fears that before 2020 the remaining population would dwindle to a point from which they would never recover.

I’m thrilled to announce today that, thanks to the work of the Otago Conservancy’s Grand and Otago Skink Recovery Team, that dire prediction should not become a reality.

The team’s major breakthrough in predator control has led to a strong recovery in protected populations of up to 94 per cent in just three years! An amazing result and the first time on mainlandNew Zealand there has been such a dramatic recovery in a critically endangered species.

It’s the result of a major investment of time, money and expertise by the recovery team, under Dr James Reardon’s leadership – Dr Reardon is here today.

At the Macraes Flat Conservation Area, two mammal-proof exclosures of 22 and 11 hectares were erected, and in the surrounding 1200-hectare area, 42 kilometres of trap lines protect a central 50-hectare area.

This approach was necessary because there are no suitable off-shore island habitats within or even outside the skinks’ natural habitat that could offer them security.

The good news is that there is now the potential to downgrade their threat classification. All going well, grand and Otago skinks will move from Critically Endangered to Endangered within about a decade. That has to be one of the best possible outcomes from any conservation investment!

The recovery team’s development of monitoring techniques, field techniques, knowledge and technology are of international significance. And here in Aotearoa, that knowledge is transferrable to other endangered species, to assist the preservation of threatened taonga on mainland New Zealand.

These two very special cold tolerant species have carved a niche in conservation research. They are superbly adapted to the extremes of climate and life in Otago’s well-weathered, schist rock tors. And unlike many other lizards, they are omnivorous, diurnal, they don’t hibernate, and they give birth to live young. Unique is an overused word these days, but these skinks certainly are unique.

We should all be very proud of the success we’re recognising today. But there is a down side. Beyond the protected populations, grand and Otago skinks will continue to become locally extinct in the wild. Outside what DOC is able to manage, improving the situation over their historic range will require other resources, and effort.

There are many excellent examples of communities, non-government agencies, landowners, individuals and corporates making substantial contributions to species preservation. With the success of the Grand and Otago Skink Recovery Programme, we now have the knowledge and expertise that others can use to help secure the future of New Zealand’s largest reptiles, grand and Otago Skinks.