Excitement is running high at Queenstown's Kiwi Birdlife Park with a raft of development projects under way or in the pipeline, and a national award for its recently refurbished Campbell Island Teal duck enclosure.
Speaking en route from last week's Zoo and Aquarium Association New Zealand conference in Wellington, park director Paul Wilson said the team was very happy to win the association award.
"It's a very big thing obviously with that award, because that's up against all of the big places like Auckland Zoo and Wellington Zoo."
In addition to recognition for the award-winning enclosure, designed to mimic the endangered Campbell Island teal duck's sub-antarctic natural habitat, the park was voted on to the Australasian Association committee.
"It's a really huge thing for us because we are so passionate about conservation. It keeps us at the forefront of what's happening, to work out what we can do to help with that," Mr Wilson said.
Back in Queenstown, there is also plenty happening, the latest addition to the park being a kiwi breeding enclosure which should be completed towards the end of the year.
Park wildlife manager Bridget Baynes told the Queenstown Times that the enclosure would be more about "kiwi-making rather than kiwi-viewing", and said the park was looking to bring in a third kiwi breeding pair once the enclosure was built.
The enclosure was special in that it was "entirely funded by visitor donations", and that once the breeding pair was established they would "just leave them be and see what happens", she said.
Also in the planning stages, and to be funded by donations, is an extension to the tuatara habitat, which has already seen pines cut down in the park where an outdoor enclosure will be created.
Mr Wilson said the park had been looking to see which habitats needed upgrading and had approached the community for sponsorship, with Rydges Lakeland Resort funding a revamp of the Morepork aviary.
"So Rydges have given us some money to work on that, which is fantastic, and what we are trying to do is get out to the community and hotels and get them involved ... We are trying to build a relationship with them, and some of the hotel staff will want to come down and volunteer as well."
