The Zealandia Ecosanctuary in Wellington has been named one of Time magazine's World's 100 Greatest Places of 2019.
For 24 years, Zealandia has been working to restore a valley located just 2km from downtown Wellington, with the vision to restore its forest and freshwater ecosystems as closely as possible to their pre-human state.
Alongside a passionate community dedicated to conservation, Zealandia has achieved astounding results in re-introducing native wildlife to back into the area, and as a result people are now encountering many once-rare species in their own backyards.
This has resulted not only in improvements for nature, but a transformation of people who now take action to care for the wildlife across the city.
![The takahē, also known as the South Island takahē or notornis, is a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand. Photo / Janice McKenna](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/THVBF2VBNG66KXWMW2CY6EO65Y.jpg?auth=0e1721ed7fba5302b3b8c9003b946ac45238fc38ef54256277103d1329c1c034&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)