Just under 2,000 people attended the Zoo's 15th annual Neighbours' Night BBQ

Every year Wellington Zoo invites its immediate neighbours, including Wellington City Council social housing tenants, to visit the Zoo for free after hours.

Wellington City Councillor Laurie Foon and her family

“It is always fantastic to meet our neighbours and welcome them to the Zoo for a fun evening where they can explore and learn about the animals that they live near,” said Amy Hughes, General Manager Communication, Experience and Conservation. “People often come in wanting to know which animal makes the sounds that wake them up in the mornings – it’s usually our resident White Cheeked Gibbons that sing a duet every morning.”

“Our annual Neighbours’ Night is many of our staff’s favourite event of the year, as we get to welcome so many local community members as part of our commitment to social sustainability. This year we’re celebrating 15 years since we started this event and many of our neighbours look forward to it as a highlight of their summer.”

Newtown locals were treated to a free sausage sizzle

Zoo staff volunteered their time to help out with the evening

With Wellington Zoo being open until 8pm, the Zoo’s neighbours were able to explore the Zoo after hours, experience special animal talks and enjoy a free sausage sizzle, face painting, juice and ice creams.

Wellington Zoo is grateful for the generous support from its partners, New World Newtown, Frucor Suntory and Tip Top, who provided the food and beverages for this year’s Neighbours’ Night.

The Zoo treated guests to a free barbecue, ice creams and juice

New World Newtown are a big supporter of the Zoo's Neighbours' Night

“We have a fantastic working relationship with our partners; New World Newtown, Tip Top and Frucor Suntory, and over the years they have continued to support our work at the Zoo and our Neighbours’ Night event. We’re incredibly grateful to the team at New World for supplying all the things we need for the barbecue, as well as volunteering their time to assist with cooking and serving,” says Amy. “We also want to thank our friends at Tip Top for the ice creams and Frucor Suntory for the Just Juice.”

The Zoo put on special animal talks for visitors, including a Chimpanzee talk

“This year we also welcomed staff from Waste Management to help our guests sort their waste to make sure we minimise our environmental impact for the event and reduce waste to landfill.”

“Neighbours’ Night is all about the Zoo giving back and supporting our local community. We had a great evening meeting our neighbours and it was, as always, a fantastic way to start the New Year.”

Community members were treated to free face painting

Our Newtown Neighbours enjoying the evening