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\nNorth Island k\u014dkako.
\nPhoto: Rotorua Daily Post \/ Spencer McIntyre \/ supplied\n<\/p>\n
An iwi-led conservation project in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest has recorded zero rat activity across more than 700 hectares of native bush.<\/p>\n
The result is wide reaching in its benefits for native wildlife, in particular the chances of a successful North Island k\u014dkako breeding season.<\/p>\n
A native bird, with slate-grey plumage and distinctive blue wattles under its beak, the North Island k\u014dkako is known to sing for over an hour, the longest duet of any songbird in the world.<\/p>\n
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But predation from introduced species, as well as deteriorating forest canopy quality, left this taonga on the verge of extinction at the turn of the century.<\/p>\n
It’s South Island cousin, distinguished by its orange wattles, is officially declared “data deficient” by the Department of Conservation, meaning no verified proof exists they are not extinct.<\/p>\n
But for the North Island k\u014dkako, numbers have grown from just over 300 remaining breeding pairs to more than 2000, thanks largely to conservation efforts.<\/p>\n
The native species remains in the at-risk conservation category, however, and predator control is widely regarded as essential to maintaining its recovery.<\/p>\n
Iwi-led conservation project Te Wao Nui o Tapuika has now achieved 0 percent rat tracking in an area of woodland between \u014ctanewainuku, in the Western Bay of Plenty, and Kaharoa, north of Rotorua, following a two-month predator control operation in November 2025.<\/p>\n
The result was supported by no rat prints being detected in tracking tunnels.<\/p>\n
“Zero percent is what everybody aims for, and you don’t get it very often,” Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust chief executive Louise Saunders said.<\/p>\n
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\nManaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust chief executive Louise Saunders.
\nPhoto: Rotorua Daily Post \/ supplied\n<\/p>\n
The trust acts as the co-ordinating entity for the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project, which brings together eight iwi and hap\u016b groups across the central North Island to help conservation efforts in the forest.<\/p>\n
“For k\u014dkako breeding, rats have to be under about 5 percent [detection in rat tracking] before the season starts.<\/p>\n
“Where rat indices are being well controlled, k\u014dkako populations increase, and that’s why results like this matter.”<\/p>\n
The Te Wao Nui o Tapuika project is part of the wider Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project.<\/p>\n
The Tapuika field team of two maintains a network of traps and bait stations across steep and remote terrain.<\/p>\n
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\nTe Taio Kaimahi Rawiri Faulkner at work in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest.
\nPhoto: Rotorua Daily Post \/ supplied\n<\/p>\n
Te Taiao kaimahi (team member) Richie Emery said the result reflected sustained effort over time rather than a one-off intervention.<\/p>\n
“We’re grateful we were able to make a big impact this year,” Emery said.<\/p>\n
“Knowing we’ve given the manu [birds] and the ngahere [bush] a chance to thrive makes the work worthwhile.”<\/p>\n
Workmate Rawiri Faulkner said the motivation went beyond employment.<\/p>\n
“You’re giving back to te taiao [nature],” he said.<\/p>\n
“I’m not doing it for me, I’m doing it for future generations.”<\/p>\n
It is work that has been ongoing at a community level since 2009, Saunders said, with Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust coming on board in 2019.<\/p>\n
The Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project began in 2020 with Jobs for Nature funding and is now supported through a mix of funding models.<\/p>\n
The trust’s ongoing relationship with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council was integral to its success, Saunders said.<\/p>\n
Council coastal catchments manager Charles Harley said it supported the project.<\/p>\n
“Our monitoring shows these locally led efforts are making a real difference, with healthier forests and improved habitat for native species,” Harley said.<\/p>\n
“Strong community action, backed by good data and long-term investment, is key.”<\/p>\n
Climate change had also been a factor in predation rates on k\u014dkako, with warmer winters decreasing predator mortality leading into the breeding season.<\/p>\n
“People got us into this mess, and it will take people to get us out of it,” said Saunders.<\/p>\n
“You can’t just lock up the forest and everything will be okay. It takes intervention and management to restore it.”<\/p>\n
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\nThe North Island kokako has one of the world’s longest singing duets.
\nPhoto: Rotorua Daily Post \/ Richard Littauer \/ supplied\n<\/p>\n
A 2023 census found 113 k\u014dkako living within the \u014ctanewainuku forest boundary – 51 pairs and 11 singles – which was an increase of 69 from 2020.<\/p>\n
Saunders said the success of the current k\u014dkako breeding season will not be known until next year, when numbers are surveyed again.<\/p>\n
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n