Wellington Zoo () is a zoo on a hilly site in the green belt of Wellington, New Zealand. Wellington Zoo opened in 1906 and is the oldest public zoo in New Zealand. The zoo's name was officially changed to 'Te Nukuao Tūroa o Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington Zoo Trust' on 27 March 2024. The change was made to reflect a continuing commitment towards becoming bicultural.
Visitor attraction In July 2026, Travel + Leisure listed Wellington Zoo among the 25 best zoos in the world in terms of ethical practices, educational programs, and investment in research projects. In 2025, it was ranked thirteenth in the Seven Corners Travel Insurance global zoo rankings, for its animal encounters. As of 2026, Wellington Zoo offers close encounters with a number of species including giraffes, meerkats, lemurs and big cats, as well as overnight stays for groups.
In the 2024/2025 financial year there were 220,465 visitors to the zoo, a decrease of almost 60,000 compared to the previous year.The decrease was attributed to several severe weather events and an economic downturn.
Conservation and sustainability The zoo works cooperatively with other zoos around the world through studbook keepers, who are responsible for maintaining relevant data on a particular species within a programme to ensure genetic diversity. Wellington Zoo is a full institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA).In addition to breeding programmes, the zoo is involved in several community conservation projects. The Kererū Discovery Project is a cooperative effort with Zealandia: Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, Te Papa and Pukaha (Mount Bruce). This project aims to make Wellington a better place for kererū, the native New Zealand pigeon. The zoo also collaborates with the Places for Penguins project run by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand to identify and protect nesting areas used by kororā (little penguins) around Wellington coastal areas. The zoo has also embarked on the Whitaker's Skink Recovery Programme, an initiative dedicated to breeding and managing Whitaker's skinks. The skinks are considered locally extinct around Wellington, and the zoo currently cares for one sixth of the entire surviving population.
An animal hospital was built in 1935 and enlarged in 1973. A new hospital named The Nest Te Kōhanga opened on 9 December 2009. It treats zoo animals as well as native wildlife brought to the hospital by the SPCA, the Department of Conservation, Zealandia, and members of the local community. The Nest Te Kōhanga has treated over 5,000 native animals. The hospital contains a salt-water pool designed for rehabilitating injured seabirds. The Nest Te Kōhanga enables the public to watch the wildlife vets at work: the vets narrate as they handle check-ups and surgeries and answer questions through an intercom system.
Funding Historically, the zoo operated under the auspices of Wellington City Council. However, in June 2003 the zoo became a charitable trust and it is now governed by a board of six trustees, with Wellington City Council as the principal source of funds.
A report presented to Wellington City Council in June 2026 stated that the zoo was in surplus before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but since then had been in deficit, even though visitor numbers had increased 25% since 2022. The zoo's auditors stated that "without improved stability between revenue and expenses, the zoo may not be a going concern as early as 30 June 2027". Cost increases in areas such as electricity, water and animal food were outstripping inflation by 1.9%, but it was not possible to reduce costs when dealing with animal welfare. Councillor Laurie Foon stated that the current funding model was not sustainable, and suggested options such as sharing funding with other councils in the Wellington region or adding revenue streams such as a glamping experience.
History
Promoters of a zoo for Wellington met in April 1906 and proposed that part of Newtown Park be set aside for it. They had been offered a lion to start the collection. On 4 June 1906 the city of Wellington took possession of a young lion given to it by Bostock and Wombwell's Circus. The lion was placed into a cage near the lake in Newtown Park and was named 'King Dick' after prime minister Richard Seddon who died on 10 June 1906, less than a week after the lion's arrival. An emu that had been living at the Botanical Gardens was moved to an enclosure at the "zoo" in April 1907, but was killed soon after. The informal zoo, initially known as the Newtown Zoo or Newtown Park Zoo, grew as birds and animals were added. By 1909 King Dick had moved to a bigger enclosure, and the zoo collection included a camel, monkeys, a kangaroo, a wallaby and various birds. Admission charges were introduced in 1912. King Dick died in 1920. His taxidermied remains are now at the Wellington Museum.
Over time the zoo was expanded and upgraded. Criticism of the zoo in its early years centred around its ongoing costs and the conditions that the animals were kept in. When it opened in 1906, Wellington Zoo kept animals in cages, but by the 1920s there was a world-wide movement to replace the small cages of Victorian-era zoos with larger enclosures with natural barriers such as moats which would improve the living conditions of the animals. An example at Wellington Zoo is the bear pits built in 1928 to provide more space for the bears, with a moat separating the animals from the public. In 1928, Wellington City Councillors debated the merits of the zoo. Cr Semple stated that the zoo was dirty and bleak and a "torture den for dumb animals", and said the city should spend its limited funds on workers rather than the zoo. On the positive side, the zoo was said to have educational and financial value. 29,000 people had paid for admission in the previous year, and people travelling to the zoo by tram provided additional funds for the Council. By the mid-1930s some of the animals were housed in bigger, more natural enclosures. As the collection increased, new cages and enclosures were built and older ones repurposed for different animals. Animals held over the years include alligators, flamingos, sealions, an orangutan and a polar bear.
In 1966, Wellington City Council invited Charles Faust of the San Diego Zoo to Wellington to draw up a plan for redesigning the zoo along the lines of San Diego Zoo, with the aim of modernising the zoo with open habitats surrounded by moats and improving profitability. A new zoo entrance was completed in 1968 and monkey cages designed by Faust were built in 1969, but there were no funds to complete the Faust Plan. On Faust's recommendation, a nocturnal house was built in 1975.
The Archibald Centre opened in 1977. It was named after Robert Archibald, a former chairman of Parks and Reserves at Wellington City Council. The Archibald Centre is a function centre with meeting rooms that can be hired by the public.
A new enclosure for tigers was opened in 1985, part of the movement to improve animal welfare with bigger, more natural spaces.
A new lion exhibit opened in December 1992, coinciding with the arrival of three lionesses to join a male lion already at the zoo. The exhibit featured a large rocky outcrop and two viewing areas. As of 2026, the zoo was planning to build a new lion habitat for its two lions. This would cost almost $14 million.
The Wild Theatre was built in 2007. This is an indoor theatre, shelter and function space with tiered seating and a lean-to roof. The space can be used for educational programmes, performances and product launches.
Neighbours, the Australian precinct, was completed and opened in September 2013.
In September 2014, Wellington Zoo opened a new exhibit, Grassland Cats. It became home to the zoo's servals and two newly arrived caracals, which at the time were the only caracals in Australasia.
Meet the Locals He Tuku Aroa opened in 2015 as a collaboration between landscape architects Isthmus Group and the zoo. It took six years of planning and 18 months to build, and takes up a fifth of the Zoo's area. It consists of four zones (coast, farm, bush, mountains) simulating a journey from the sea to the mountains. Visitors can see native wildlife, farm animals, a community vegetable garden and a conservation display. The area includes Pōhutukawa Farm, where traditional farming may be observed. Many parts of Meet the Locals are interactive and designed for children to explore.
The zoo acquired had 23 baboons in 1967. In 2019, the zoo decided to euthanise its four remaining baboons, after a breakdown in their social structure which meant they were injuring themselves by fighting and were suffering from anxiety.
On 12 April 2023, two snow leopards arrived from Melbourne Zoo. Their custom-built habitat cost $6 million and took 18 months to build.
Lake and miniature train When the zoo opened there was a large pond or lake near the entrance, which formed a habitat for swans and other waterfowl. In the 1950s a gondola provided rides on the lake.
At the south end of the lake was a raupo swamp which had silted up by 1966. This area was near the site of the future Archibald Centre. There was an island in the middle of the lake, which in 1966 was linked to the sides by bridges when a miniature train donated and operated by the local Lions Club was installed. The train carried visitors on a track around the lake and was popular with children. At this time a portion of the lake was cut off and became a pelican habitat.
The train ceased operation in May 1997 to make way for a three-year project to redevelop the lake area, with the new concept opening on 26 December 1997. The miniature train track around the lake was removed and the lake was largely filled in, creating two forested islands and some trails. Visitors could view primates across the water on the islands, while the animals were unable to cross the moats between them and the public. One island contained 22 capuchin and nine spider monkeys, and the other was home to three gibbons. In 1997 the miniature train was given to a Lions group in Timaru and put into service at Caroline Bay.
Elephants and elephant house
The idea of acquiring an elephant was raised several times after the zoo opened. In 1925, Wellington City Council was offered an elephant but was unsure whether to accept. At a council meeting, Cr. Bob Semple stated "I am certainly going to record my vole against the expenditure of £375 of public money to purchase a beast to pen it up and torture it. Vote it [the funds] to a charitable purpose if there are not other uses for it in the city." The SPCA was also opposed to the purchase of an elephant.
After much discussion and debate, Wellington Zoo's first elephant Lily or Nellikutha ('Nellie'), a six-year-old female, arrived in 1927 as a gift from the Madras government. Nellikutha died in 1944 and was replaced in 1949 by Maharanee, bought from Wirth's Circus. In 1953, Maharanee was joined by 14-year-old Bhavani, who was renamed Kamala after a competition to choose a new name. Kamala was given to the zoo by the All India Women's Conference as a thank you for funds raised for India by the aid organisation CORSO.
Maharanee was euthanised in 1960 after suffering a foot infection for some time. She was replaced by Nirvana, who lived at the zoo from 1970 to 1973 before being sold to Ridgway's Circus. The zoo curator noted that Maharanee had never been "a completely tractable elephant" and had rarely given rides to children during her time at the zoo. On the other hand, Kamala was known as a friendly, placid and gentle animal who gave rides to thousands of children during her 30 years at the zoo. She died in 1983, and was the last elephant held at Wellington Zoo. Kamala was buried at the zoo, but her skeleton was later given to the Museum of New Zealand.