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Kokako transfer to Pukaha, Mt Bruce

More kokako for Pukaha

The wild kokako population in the Pukaha Mount Bruce forest has almost doubled and become more genetically diverse with the arrival of eight of these rare songbirds from the Mapara Wildlife Reserve in the Waikato over the past two weeks.

The newcomers join kokako released into the forest from the Mangatutu ecological area in Waikato's Pureora Forest Park over the past two years.

Department of Conservation kokako recovery group leader Rose Collen believes they will bring a greater generic diversity, therefore avoiding a potential 'genetic bottleneck' and ensuring a healthy new population.

"These birds will go a long way to improving the viability of the kokako population and will be a tremendous boost to the current population of between 10 and 12 birds."

Department of Conservation Biodiversity ranger Tony Silbery is hopeful that the newly-released birds will remain as pairs in the Pukaha Mount Bruce forest.

"They were captured as pairs, so we are hopeful that they will remain as pairs and breed in the future. So far, the birds are doing what we expect, exploring the reserve, before taking up a territory and settling down. It is difficult to estimate how long it will take before they start breeding, as it varies so much between birds."

Since July 2003, nine birds have been transferred into the Pukaha forest from the Mangatutu ecological area along with two captive Pukaha Mount Bruce kokako which originated from Mangatutu. In February 2004, two kokako chicks were produced at Pukaha. It was the first time in over 60 years that kokako had bred in the wild in the Wairarapa.

Funding for this kokako transfer was provided through 'Dawn Chorus' - a fund that was started by the New Zealand National Parks and Conservation Foundation in an effort to attract a broader range of businesses into conservation sponsorship.

Executive Director for New Zealand National Parks and Conservation Foundation Jane Arnott says that conservation sponsorship is the 'poor cousin' to many other forms of sponsorship.

"We have to work harder to attract funds and demonstrate that there is value in conservation. While New Zealanders love the outdoors and their sense of 'place' is all about beaches, songbirds, native forests and our wilderness areas, translating this into funding streams is challenging," says Jane.

Dawn Chorus accumulates sponsorship amounts of between $3,000 to $5,000 and current sponsors include Weta Workshop, Mitre 10, Pumpkin Patch, Treescape, Air New Zealand, Mainfreight, Enviromower, Waitiri Creek, Gibson Rusdent, PMP and Fidelity Life.

The Pukaha restoration project, supported by local iwi, Rangitaane O Wairarapa, the National Wildlife Centre Trust and the Department of Conservation, is making it possible for kokako, kiwi and other endangered species to return to their former home. The 942ha Mt Bruce Scenic Reserve is criss-crossed by a network of trails that contain traps and bait stations needed to support the intensive pest control operation underway in the forest.

Greater Wellington Regional Council and Horizons Regional Council have also laid traps and bait stations within 3300 hectares of private land surrounding the Mount Bruce Scenic Reserve to create a buffer zone. Some neighbouring landowners are also supporting the project by undertaking pest control on their own land.