For the first time in nearly four decades, a group of kākāpō are going to live on the mainland.
Four male kākāpō are being moved today from Whenua Hou/Codfish Island near Rakiura/Stewart Island to the 3400ha fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in Waikato.
The birds travelled with Air New Zealand, flying from Queenstown to Auckland.
Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation (DOC) made the announcement this morning.
"Kākāpō are one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most iconic and rare species, recovering from a population low of 51 birds in 1995," DOC operations manager for kākāpō Deidre Vercoe said.
"Until now, kākāpō have been contained to a few predator-free offshore islands, so to have them now returning to the mainland is a major achievement for all involved."
But, Vercoe did warn that only time will tell of the mission's ultimate success.
"Sanctuary Mountain is a large space, with plenty of good habitat for kākāpō, but it's still unknown whether they will successfully establish here long-term," she said.
"The main focus of this translocation is to learn if kākāpō can thrive in a fenced sanctuary, while taking pressure off the islands ahead of future breeding seasons."
It comes as their island homes are almost at capacity, following years of conservation work from DOC and the iwi in partnership.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari biodiversity team leader Janelle Ward said it is a "great privilege" to be involved in the project.
The translocation will be marked with a pōwhiri and celebration at Pōhara Marae, to mark the transfer of care between iwi.
"This is a milestone translocation, and we are thankful for our iwi partners who will keep our taonga (treasured) kākāpō safe at their new habitat on Maungatautari," Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu deputy kaiwhakahaere Matapura Ellison said.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu kākāpō recovery group representative Tāne Davis said the iwi "had to tweak" their tikanga to accommodate the shift, attributing a blend of mātauranga Māori and Western science to the success of the operation.
"Kākāpō are masters at camouflage, so it is very unlikely visitors to the sanctuary will come across them. However, the potential to hear their distinctive 'booming' calls across the Waikato landscape for the first time in generations is an important milestone," Vercoe said.
"It's an exciting glimpse into what the future could be for our rare native birds, while serving as a reminder of why Predator Free 2050 is such an important goal."
Te Rūnaka o Awarua Representative Gail Thompson said: "We are very protective of our taonga and are reluctant to see them leave our rohe (area), but we know this is the right decision.
"As mana whenua, we are committed to making Rakiura (Stewart Island) predator free, so we can establish a strong population of kākāpō closer to home."
SHARE ME