How Riverview came to be
Riverview is a small animal sanctuary on fifteen acres in Roxburgh, Central Otago. This is where it all began.
It started small. A handful of animals needed somewhere safe, and we took them in with no bigger plan than "we can look after you." Word travels in a small community, and before long that handful had become a flock, then a family of very different animals sharing the land.
Somewhere along the way, "let's just help this one" turned into "we should probably make this official." That's how Riverview Sanctuary Trust came to be, and in 2026 we became a registered charity.
We didn't set out to start a charity. For a long time, the dream was simple: some land, animals, and somewhere near the water. We just weren't sure it could ever happen for us.
Then we came across this property on a whim, and as soon as we saw it, we knew it had to happen.
Riverview sits on fifteen acres beside the Clutha River in Roxburgh, Central Otago. It was farmland once, but it had been left untouched for years by the time we arrived. It's still mostly bare, which means we're starting from scratch and building it up slowly, one paddock at a time.
Right now, it's just the two of us, Alyssa and Antony: no staff and no team behind the scenes. Just us doing the work ourselves, day by day, building something we hope will outlast both of us: a proper, lasting home for animals who need rescue, rehabilitation or simply somewhere to stay for good.
We're still early. There's no fancy infrastructure yet, just fifteen acres, the animals already in our care and a lot of quiet, steady work. But every form filed and every fence built is one step closer to opening our gates properly.
Curious where this is all heading?
Our Story is about how we got here. The Vision is about where we're going: the sanctuary, the land and the bigger dream.