Waikato ecosanctuary welcomes more kākāpō and Mahoenui giant wētā

Two kākāpō and more than 100 Mahoenui giant wētā have been released at the country's largest ecosanctuary, after 25 years of ecological restoration.

The new additions mean there are now five kākāpō at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in Waikato, as part of a mainland habitat trial that began in 2023.

The trial is a partnership between the Department of Conservation's Kākāpō Recovery Programme, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and mana whenua, in a bid to protect one of the world's rarest parrots.

Sanctuary chief executive Helen Hughes said when the reserve was formed 25 years ago, it was hard to imagine native wildlife thriving on Maungatautari.

"The arrival of these new kākāpō and Mahoenui giant wētā taonga is a reminder that this is not a finished story. It's continuing to evolve, and we're excited about what comes next."

The sanctuary covers more than 3363 hectares of native forest behind a 47-kilometre pest and predator-proof fence, protecting 730 native species, including the 15 native species returned to Maungatautari through iwi-to-iwi tono tikanga.

Since its inception, several birds including North Island Brown Kiwi, tuatara, kōkako, tīeke, hihi and toutouwai have been released into the sanctuary.

Hughes said its mana whenua and iwi partners, the Department of Conservation, recovery and breeding programmes, staff, volunteers and supporters, had worked together to help threatened species to recover and thrive.

DOC's acting operations manager for kākāpō Annie Wallace said one of the biggest challenges in the bird's recovery was finding suitable predator-free habitat for a growing population.

"The two males joining today will join the three who have lived at the site since 2023, helping build our understanding of how kākāpō use fenced mainland habitat."

The new additions come after a bumper breeding season that saw the national kākāpō population reach 325 birds.

Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group Tāne Davis said Ngāi Tahu felt a strong sense of responsibility towards the kākāpō as a taonga.

"With the urgent need to find new homes for the manu, it is important that we continue to try new things working alongside our mana whenua partners."

The Mahoenui giant wētā were bred through a programme at Ōtorohanga Kiwi House in partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto, mana whenua and DOC.

The release of 122 wētā at Maungatautari on Thursday, came just over a year after the translocation of 192 of the native insects last August.

Ōtorohanga Kiwi House marketing manager Tyler Lloyd said it was an honour to have bred and raised the remarkable wētā.

"Seeing them take their place in the forest at Maungatautari is an incredibly rewarding moment for everyone who has cared for them. It is the moment that patient, daily work becomes part of something much bigger."

Ngāti Koroki Kahukura along with Ngāti Hauā, Raukawa and Waikato, maintain deep and enduring connections with Maungatautari as a treasured tūpuna, and help to guide the sanctuary's direction.

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari co-chair and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura representative Norma Taute said for mana whenua, Maungatautari was a tūpuna (ancestor).

"The restoration of this maunga has always been about restoring the health and mauri of the maunga, strengthening our connection to place, honouring our responsibilities as kaitiaki and working together through kotahitanga.

"Today, the maunga sings again because people chose to share the dream, and that is something we can all be proud of."