The Okarito or broad-cheek gecko has only a handful of records and sightings but has now reappeared on the West Coast .
Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio chairman Paul Madgwick said it was an exciting find of a taonga species on the brink of extinction.
South Westland biodiversity ranger Rheanne Sullivan said finding them was just the beginning.
"With the species currently classed as 'data deficient', our focus now is to improve our understanding of its ecology and conservation needs," she said.
It was one of two lizard species discovered in the Okarito Sanctuary near Franz Josef in the last year.
They had not previously been recorded so far south.
Lizards are more vulnerable in the cold as they are too slow to escape predators including rodents, ferrets, cats and weasels.
New Zealand has 43 recognised species of gecko and 64 species of skink.
Anyone who has seen a lizard on the West Coast or in the alpine zone should contact the Department of Conservation.
