Every dollar you donate goes straight to saving species
Life insurance and biodiversity conservation share surprising common ground, we’re both working to protect what matters most for future generations. While Chubb Life protects families from financial loss and distress, we’re working together to protect New Zealand’s species from disappearing forever, and this partnership creates a model for how business and conservation can work in genuine harmony.
The projects your donations power
The Alborn skink tells a story that keeps conservationists awake at night. Discovered in the 1990s near Reefton, this small lizard has since vanished from every location except one tiny pākihi wetland where only about 30 individuals remain. When beech trees mast and mouse populations explode, these skinks face double jeopardy as the mice eat them and compete for their food. The Department of Conservation (DOC) is building a predator-proof fence to protect their last refuge, and your donations are going to create a five-hectare sanctuary where the species can recover without the constant threat of predation.
Meanwhile, on the windswept beaches north of Auckland, the tara iti (New Zealand fairy tern) teeters on the edge of existence with just 35 birds remaining. These ethereal creatures, no larger than a sparrow, represent our most endangered endemic breeding bird, carrying the highest conservation threat ranking possible. The recovery programme needs funding for predator control during breeding season, winter habitat surveys in Kaipara Harbour, and the creation of new safe nesting sites. Each breeding season becomes a race against time, with DOC rangers and volunteers working around the clock to protect nests from storms, predators, and human disturbance.
Perhaps the most ancient story unfolds in the Waitaki Valley, where limestone cliffs formed 25 million years ago from compressed marine sediments now support ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth. These formations contain fossils of ancient penguins, whales, and dolphins, but also shelter something even more precious: 152 declining plant species, with 50 classified as nationally critical. The limestone restoration project takes a methodical approach to recovery, starting with mechanical weed removal to give native species breathing room, followed by careful propagation of threatened plants in specialist nurseries, and finally the delicate work of translocating these species back to their restored habitat.
How operational funding changes the game
Traditional fundraising creates an uncomfortable truth for donors who want their money to make maximum impact. Charities need funds for salaries, office rent, computers, and countless other necessities that keep conservation work running smoothly. Most organisations handle this by taking a percentage from each donation, which makes perfect sense but can leave donors wondering exactly how much of their gift reaches the cause they care about.
Chubb Life’s commitment to funding operational costs transforms this equation completely. When you donate to help save the Alborn skink, your entire contribution goes toward predator removal and population monitoring. Support for the tara iti means your money funds trap maintenance, ranger transport, and breeding site preparation rather than office supplies or administrative salaries.
This model builds trust through transparency and maximises conservation impact from public donations. Corporate partners who understand the value of biodiversity step forward to handle the infrastructure, while individual donors provide the direct conservation funding that saves species. The partnership acknowledges that businesses depend on healthy ecosystems just as much as communities do, making biodiversity protection a shared responsibility rather than optional philanthropy.
The multiplication effect of strategic partnerships
What makes this partnership particularly compelling is how it multiplies conservation effectiveness across multiple fronts. Chubb Life gains authentic environmental credentials through measurable conservation outcomes, while NZNF can make a unique promise to donors that sets us apart in the charitable sector. Most importantly, threatened species receive more protection because every donation dollar works harder.
The limestone ecosystem restoration alone requires $1.4 million over five years, with costs ranging from mechanical weed removal and native plant purchasing to long-term maintenance and monitoring. The Alborn skink fence needs precise engineering to keep out even the smallest mice, while the tara iti programme demands year-round vigilance across multiple breeding sites. These projects succeed through sustained funding rather than one-off windfalls, and knowing that operational costs are covered allows us to plan long-term conservation strategies with confidence.
Your role in this conservation story
When businesses recognise biodiversity loss as an existential threat rather than an environmental nice-to-have, conservation shifts from charity to investment. Chubb Life’s partnership demonstrates this evolution in corporate thinking, where protecting natural systems becomes integral to business sustainability.
Your donation, whether large or small, now carries unprecedented power to create change. Free from the burden of overhead costs, every dollar drives real conservation action: building fences, checking traps, growing native plants, monitoring nests, and gradually pulling species back from the brink of extinction.
Join this conservation movement where corporate support amplifies public generosity, and help us write a different ending for New Zealand’s threatened species.
