Orana Wildlife Park is in a financial crisis with its cash reserves running close to empty, its leaders revealed today.
Questions were now swirling around whether the zoo could survive, as it approached its 50th year of operation in Christchurch.
The zoo – home to animals such as lions and gorillas – has been undergoing a dramatic transformation over the last two years, following a 1News investigation into its culture and treatment of animals.
Animal sanctuary can resume taking new animals after a review prompted by whistleblowers' animal welfare concern. (Source: 1News)
The park is putting out a plea for help from the public, saying it needs to raise $4.1 million ahead of the next financial year.
It has launched a Givealittle campaign and was asking the public to come and visit.
Board co-chair Ken Hughey described it as the most serious financial challenge in the zoo's history.
“We do not want to cause unnecessary alarm, but we must be realistic and honest,” he said.
The zoo remains open and no decision has been made about its future. Hughey said it had developed a sustainability and recovery plan.
"We have a recovery plan, a stronger organisation and a good understanding of what needs to be done," he said.
"We now need support from local and central government, philanthropy, businesses, major donors and the community to give that plan time to succeed."
Zoo has undergone 'renewal'
Orana has gone through a significant "renewal" in the last two years, it said.
The transformation followed a 1News investigation in 2024, where 20 zoo staff came forward to raise concerns about its operation.
The series revealed several animal deaths and injuries that had not been reported before, over the zoo's history.
Some workers said they were overworked and exhausted, with too many animals in their care. Others said they had been ignored or were left to work in unsafe conditions, which made them fear for their lives at work.
Since then four separate groups have carried out reviews or investigations into the park, including the Zoo and Aquarium Association and the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Hughey said those reviews had required Orana to "confront some very difficult issues".
"The Board accepted the findings, apologised for the position the park had reached and committed to making the changes needed."
While the whisleblowers had raised concern about treatment of animals, Orana maintains that the reviews did not find any current animal welfare issues.
Hughey said work had been underway to tackle “systemic cultural and organisational issues”.
The reviews found need for “significant improvements across staffing, veterinary capability, animal-welfare processes, health and safety, asset management, governance and workplace culture," he said.
'Historical underinvestment'
The park had spent significant reserves over the last two years to rebuild itself, Hughey said.
It had received a report from accountancy firm BDO tracking its financial sustainability. That, alongside the other reviews, had given the Park a clear idea of what was required to run a “safe, modern and accredited wildlife park”.
Hughey said reviews had also confirmed historical under investments, with budgets that had “not always reflected the true cost of meeting those standards".
Since the reviews were published, Orana had appointed a new chief executive and employed seven additional exotic animal keepers to work with animals like lions, gorillas and other animals.
It had also appointed two veterinary nurses, a first for the park as previously it had only used an external vet on certain days of the week.
Now it is looking for ways to plug its funding gap, with millions needing to be raised.
Orana new chief executive Rachel Haydon said zoos have high fixed costs and responsibilities that go year-round.
“You cannot mothball a giraffe or pause the care of a gorilla while waiting for revenue and visitation to improve,” she said.
“Animals require quality food, veterinary care, secure habitats, heating or cooling, life support systems and monitoring every day of the year by specialist staff.”
BDO had found Orana’s forecasts were credible in the long term and its costs were “broadly comparable with other zoo operations," the park said.
It claimed the report also found that further cost reductions would not resolve the underlying problem.
Plea for support from council, public
The Park has highlighted how comparable zoos receive more public support.
BDO had found that council funding, grants and donations represented 57% of Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo’s revenue in 2025, it said.
Those sources made up 23% of Orana’s revenue, by comparison.
In a press release, Orana said it had been having “initial and constructive discussions with the Christchurch City Council on dealing with the short fall financial issue”.
"Council is a key partner, but Orana can’t ask council to solve this alone," Hughey said.
"We now know what it costs to operate Orana properly and what investment is needed to secure its future."
The Park was working on a "long term masterplan", to keep it running for another 50 years, he said.
Christchurch City Council won't say yet whether it will support them financially.
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