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A kakī wading in shallow water

Elegant black waders: five facts about kakī

With only about 170 in the wild and confined to the central South Island, the kakī (black stilt) is one of New Zealand’s rarest manu (birds).
Heavy lifting drone on the back of a boat

Heavy-lift drones are transforming predator control

Drones lifting up to 100kg are changing predator free work, carrying traps, bait and supplies through dense bush and steep terrain while saving time and money.
A dotterel on a beach with a boombox

Sound science: using noise to keep cats away from nesting birds in urban areas

Roaming cats can doom bird nests simply by paying a visit. Could sound keep cats away from precious birds and nests?
A ranger standing in Mackenzie Basin

Final countdown: hedgehog clear out in the Mackenzie Basin

Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) is closing in on the few remaining hedgehogs in Mackenzie Basin.
Feral cat eating a kakariki

The tide turns: feral cats join the predator free mission

There are moments in conservation where you can feel the tide turning, writes Predator Free New Zealand Trust chief executive Jessi Morgan.
A kakā in a tree

20 years of predator control quadrupled kākā population near Taupō

Large-scale, frequent and effective introduced predator control helped increase kākā density fourfold and improved the sex ratio.
Rose and harakeke

From catching 2,000 a year to none: life without possums on a Banks Peninsula farm

The Gibbs’ Banks Peninsula 235-hectare farm has been declared possum-free, and the change is noticeable everywhere.
A woman standing on the beach photographing birds.

“It’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster”: the dotterel guardian of Southland

Each spring, pukunui (Southern dotterels) head to Rakiura’s mountaintops to breed. All summer, Glenda Rees waits, heartsick, fearing which won’t return.
Bird nerd explains 1080 in a mast year.

Comic: bird nerd explains 1080 in a mast year

Illustrator Andrew James outlines how the Department of Conservation are planning to respond to this summer’s forecast beech mast.
A couple standing on a cliff overlooking the sea, surrounded by Chatham Island wildlife.

“We are seeing the land come back”: restoring nature and relationships on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands)

On Rēkohu, Maui and Susan Solomon are returning nature to a place stripped bare. Their project is restoring a relationship with the land, birds and trees.
A world map showing traps and devices migrating from New Zealand to the rest of the world

NZ’s weird export niche: predator control technology

Invasive species threaten ecosystems worldwide, but New Zealand stands out for its solutions, exporting conservation tech to the world.
A man and woman in the bush wearing hi vis vests

From wasp swarms to birdsong: 1500 wasp nests removed in five years

Five years ago, the forest above Waikawa in Marlborough was more horror story than sanctuary. Today, it’s on the road to restoration.
Tauhou (silver eye) catching a bug

Spring has sprung: 5 ways to get naturing

It’s warming up. Our days are getting longer. Many of us are keen to get out and enjoy the outdoors, even if it’s in our own backyards.
A washed out road

Cyclone Gabrielle couldn’t stop this conservation project

When Cyclone Gabrielle unleashed havoc on Mangaotāne, Pete Swann and his biodiversity restoration team dove back into pest control mahi as fast as possible.
A ship rat and a norway rat face off.

All rats aren’t the same: what you need to know to outsmart them

Aotearoa New Zealand has three rat species with similar looks but different behaviours. Knowing which makes your predator control more effective.