Our Story

Butterfly Creek is a privately owned NZ business and is managed by the married team of John Dowsett and Fiona Turner (who says husband and wife can’t work successfully together!). The first stage of Butterfly Creek opened in late 2003 and development has continued at a great pace since then.

There is nothing like Butterfly Creek in NZ where visitors can experience a huge range of attractions from zoo exhibits to fun attractions including a train, playground and café.

Committed to Conservation and Sustainability

At Butterfly Creek, our purpose goes beyond creating memorable experiences for our guests. We are deeply committed to caring for the environment, protecting wildlife, and operating as responsibly as possible — both now and for future generations.

As part of this commitment, in 2025 we installed 176 solar panels on site. This upgrade allowed us to offset around 30% of our total energy use with clean, renewable power from the sun, helping to significantly reduce our reliance on the grid.

The impact of this initiative is meaningful. Each year, our solar system will save approximately 13 tonnes of carbon emissions, which is equivalent to planting 2,327 trees or avoiding more than 1.1 million kilometres of car travel. These improvements support our wider sustainability and conservation efforts and help minimise our environmental footprint.

Investing in renewable energy is just one of the many ways Butterfly Creek is working to protect the natural world that inspires us every day. Through conservation, education, and responsible operations, we aim to lead by example and encourage our guests to care for the environment alongside us.