Some Marlborough vineyard owners say they will pay to protect rare native falcons from being electrocuted on power pole transformers.
The Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust, which is trying to restore the bird's numbers, says almost half the fatalities in the past five years have been due to electrocution.
The Marlborough Lines company has refused the Trust's appeal to cover live equipment, saying it is too expensive.
It has, however, agreed to do so if landowners pay the cost, and seven vineyards so far have said they will.
