Date:  21 April 2017

The Wild Dunedin festival is set to take over the streets, beaches, wetlands, and reserves of Dunedin these school holidays from 21 to 25 April.

Toyota Kiwi Guardians has teamed up with over 20 of the 50 events during the four-day festival to encourage visitors and locals to connect with nature and earn cool rewards.

The Toyota Kiwi Guardians programme is a joint initiative between the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Toyota New Zealand.

It’s aimed at kids between 6 and10 years old. While kids are outside enjoying fresh air, having fun and creating memories; they’re also building good conservation habits.

By attending any (or all!) of the 20 events linked with the Toyota Kiwi Guardians programme, kids can complete activities to earn an Explorer Medal.

This Wild Dunedin Explorer Medal is a special edition one created for Wild Dunedin. For details on how to redeem it, visit www.Wilddunedin.nz. This medal is in addition to the seven permanent Toyota Kiwi Guardian Sites around Dunedin.

As part of the Wild Dunedin Festival, DOC is also hosting the UrbanNature Expo on Sunday 23 April at Woodhaugh Gardens between 11am – 3 pm.

The UrbanNature Expo will feature a range of local community groups contributing to conservation: providing information, live displays, activities and resources for the whole family relating to urban biodiversity, threats, and tips for enhancing and enjoying it.

Maggie Ford, DOC Ranger says, “The UrbanNature Expo is an opportunity to build community understanding and learn ways to help support Predator Free 2050, join the War on Weeds and also become a Kiwi Guardian.

“It’s a fun day out for families to experience and learn about Dunedin’s rich biodiversity”.

A Memorandum of Understanding for the Predator Free Dunedin initiative was signed by 19 organisations at an event attended by Prime Minister Bill English and Conservation Minister Maggie at Orokunui Sanctuary on 16 March 2017.

The Expo will be the prize giving location for the Town Belt Traverse hosted by the Dunedin Amenities Society.

To find out the full range of events on during the festival, and identify which ones are Toyota Kiwi Guardians Explorer Medal events visit www.Wilddunedin.nz.

For more about Toyota Kiwi Guardians, please visit http://www.doc.govt.nz/kiwiguardians or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kiwiguardians/.

Media are welcome to come along and a selection of photos will be sent out after the event.

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