Stories and research

Simon holding a shearwater in the forest.

Monitoring our flesh-footed shearwaters: an apprentice ecologist’s account

On Ohinau Island, the transition from day to night tells the toanui (flesh-footed shearwaters) foraging on the water that it’s time to come home.
A stoat with a dead rat in its mouth

Zeroing in – toxic rodents lure last stoats

While 1080 operations and trapping networks remove most introduced predators from an area, getting the remaining animals is a challenge.
Volunteers checking traps with the Wellington landscape in the background.

Sinking ship rats on the Miramar Peninsula

Predator Free Wellington (PFW) is on a mission – they want to be the first predator free capital in the world. So far the project has been a huge success.
Little spotted kiwi may be hybrid kiwi

Kiwi translocations – are we doing it right?

Kiwi are the most translocated bird species in New Zealand and the number of new projects and released birds are steadily increasing. We’ve been moving our kiwi around for over 100 years but could we be doing it better?
An albatross parent on the nest with its chick

Royal succession: the changing role of human help for the survival of toroa

Rearing royalty takes a team at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head. Since the 1930s, the toroa (northern royal albatross) colony on the Otago Peninsula have had human helpers ensuring their survival.
Marcia holding a petrel in the bush.

Monitoring the threatened black petrels of Aotea

In the middle of the night, huddled with her team on an island in the Hauraki Gulf, Predator Free Apprentice Marcia Welch sits and waits.
Sam showing two children the importance of pest control in the bush.

Towards Predator-Free Taranaki’s three-pronged approach to tackling its predators

They say good things come in threes and Towards Predator-Free Taranaki takes this statement to heart with three massive predator control projects underway.
A group of trapper walking along a path

Funding injection boosts efforts of 13 predator free community groups across NZ

Today we’ve awarded $50,000 in funding to 13 Predator Free community groups, which will be used to kickstart new backyard communities and help existing groups expand their progress.
A technician preparing a drone.

X marks the spot: toxin drone drops to tackle tricky terrain

Boots on the ground and 1080 applied over large areas can control about 95 percent of possums, rats and stoats. But what about that last 5 percent?
A whio close up shot

Combined control contains the key to whio population growth

A seven-year Department of Conservation study into combined predator control methods has revealed great news for the survival of our native whio (blue ducks). 
Female and male takahē standing in the grass; female on the left, male on the right eating grass

Seabirds, disease, sanctuary islands

Air travel could be with bird diseases to kakapo, takahe and other endangered species on their remote sanctuary islands.
Mōhua on a branch.

Where have all the custard-heads gone? 5 facts on our rare mohua

With the affectionate nickname of custard-head, it should be easy to recognise the mohua (yellowhead).
Helen attaching a device to a tree.

What inspires the inspiring? We asked 5 women making big strides in conservation

Longlife lures. Burrowing birds. Cute kākāpō cartoons. What do all these things have in common? Amazing wāhine who are forwarding the predator free goal.
Sarah with a kākāpō

IWD2022: kākāpō cartooning with Sarah Little

Self-confessed bird nerd Sarah Little spends most days caring for kākāpo. She’s a ranger out on Whenua Hou protecting our rare kākāpō from extinction.
Estelle holding a caught stoat.

IWD2022: teaching about our taonga with Estelle Pura Pera-Leask

For International Women’s Day, we spoke to Estelle Pura Pera-Leask – a key figure bringing Māori voices and expertise to the movement.