Fiordland islands

Fiordland National Park (1,260,740 ha), in the southwest of the South Island, is the largest national park in New Zealand, and is one of the largest in the world.

In 1986 Fiordland National Park was recognised as a World Heritage Area. In 1990 the area was renamed Te Wāhipounamu – South West New Zealand World Heritage Area and extended to include Westland, Aspiring and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Parks.

Location map of Fiordland National Park

The park contains hundreds of islands ranging in size from small rock stacks up to Resolution Island (20,860 ha). In total, the land area of Fiordland islands exceeds 40,000 ha.

Islands provide sites where integrated biodiversity management is often more cost effective than on the mainland due to lower numbers and types of pests, and lower reinvasion rates. Some islands have never had rats, mice, or brushtail possums present. The Fiordland Islands Restoration Programme seeks to conserve the high ecological values of selected islands through removing unwanted animal and plant pests, and the re-introduction of threatened fauna.