It's not often you see a Tuatara in the CBD - but strangely apt that one is coming to town, since they're sometimes described as the evolutionary equivalent of a stone age man in Times Square.

The Tuatara Trust is taking one of its reptiles from Natureland to the Nelson Museum as the 'show and tell' feature of a talk from Dr Nicky Nelson, a scientist in the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Victoria University of Wellington and Chair of the Tuatara Trust.

Dr Nelson says tuatara are truly unique and are famous here and overseas. "There are four orders of reptile and tuatara are the only one in the Rhynchocephalia order, so anyone who has studied biological sciences anywhere in the world knows about them," she says.

"And in New Zealand they're an icon - it's very special for Nelson people that Ngati Koata are involved and are sharing their taonga by having them on show at Natureland and on educational visits."

Dr Nelson's research focuses on the effects of climate change on tuatara. She will talk about her research and the conservation of tuatara. The Tuatara Trust, established in 2007, gives presentations to school children and community groups that aim to enthuse children about conservation and the survival of threatened species like the tuatara.

The Trust also aims to increase the capacity of local iwi Ngati Koata as kaitiaki (guardians) of the tuatara. Waimea Estates supports the trust and donates five cents per bottle of Spinyback wine to further its work. Victoria University of Wellington is the scientific and research arm of the collaboration.

More information at tuataratrust.co.nz Dr Nicola Nelson's talk on tuatara is at the Nelson Museum 7 - 8 on Tuesday October 12. All welcome, gold coin donation to the Trust.