1870’s – the Crown purchased the greater part of the seventy-mile bush and the bush was subsequently surveyed, cleared and sold. The Pukaha Mount Bruce block (942 hectares) was retained as Forest Reserve. For the next hundred years, the New Zealand Forest Service was primarily responsible for Pukaha Mount Bruce although the Wildlife Service became responsible for the birds within the 55 hectares separately gazetted as Native Bird Reserve;

1948 - takahe were discovered in Fiordland in the Murchison Mountains. It was agreed that a captive breeding programme should be established by the Wildlife Service;

1955 – the skills of Elwyn Welch were utilised to carry out the captive breeding programme. Mr Welch was a bird lover and farmer who owned a property “Kelvin Grove” with a number of aviaries one km south of the current National Wildlife Centre (NWC) site. For the next three years, he devised methods of caring for the young takahe;

1958 – a party of three – Mr Welch and two Wildlife Service officers set off for Takahe Valley in Fiordland. Four takahe chicks were transferred to Mr Welch’s property for rearing.

1961- Tragically, Mr Welch died soon after kakapo were transferred to his property in 1961.

1962 - new facilities were established, the place became known as the Mount Bruce Native Bird Reserve and its management became the responsibility of the Wildlife Service.

1965 – the Native Bird Reserve was officially opened.

1980 – the prime role of the Bird Reserve changed to “the conservation of all native wildlife (including lizards, frogs, insects and fish) through public education, research and captive breeding.
1984 - a locally based charitable trust was formally established to administer the facility called the National Wildlife Centre Trust. The Mount Bruce Native Bird Reserve became known as the National Wildlife Centre.

1985 – the new Visitor Centre and kiwi nocturnal house were built and a shop, café and audio-visual room were established. A bush walk and aviaries for the display and breeding of native birds were also put in place;

1987 – the Department of Conservation took over the Wildlife Service’s role and now jointly administers the National Wildlife Centre with the National Wildlife Centre Trust board. Department of Conservation staff manage the breeding facility and the visitor centre and work with the Trust to maintain and develop the buildings;

Late 1990’s – Rangitaane O Wairarapa joined the National Wildlife Centre Trust bringing a cultural leadership dimension to the Trust;

1996 – Nine juvenile kaka are re-introduced into the Pukaha Mount Bruce forest. Initially predator-nest boxes were established and birds were monitored in order to protect females and chicks from predators.

2001 – The Department of Conservation, Rangitaane O Wairarapa and the National Wildlife Centre Trust joined forces to restore the 942ha forest at Pukaha and return species that had become extinct locally. This agreement was formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the three parties. The Pukaha team were employed to cut kilometres of tracks every 50 metres and bait stations every 100 metres along these traps;

2002 – Greater Wellington Regional Council and Horizons Regional Council started laying traps and bait stations within the 2700ha’s of private land surrounding the Pukaha Mount Bruce forest;
July 2003 – six kokako were released into the forest marking a first in the history of New Zealand where species that had become extinct from an area on the mainland were returned to it;

December 2003 – six North Island brown kiwi were released into the forest;

January 2004 – two kokako chicks fledged in the wild just six months after the release of the parents;

May 2004 – four more captive kokako are released into the forest;

July 2004 – an egg, laid by one of the kiwi released in December, is found in a burrow. It was found to be rotten but is a sign that the birds have settled well into the Pukaha Mount Bruce forest and are likely to breed again in future;

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