Five more kākā welcomed to Hawke's Bay

Five more kākā have been released at Boundary Stream Mainland Island. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay has welcomed more kākā to the region, with five birds released at Boundary Stream Mainland Island on Sunday.

The release was part of the Poutiri Ao ō Tāne project and brings introduced population at Boundary Stream, in the Maungaharuru Range, to over 26.

The birds came from Pūkaha (Mt Bruce) in the Tararua District.

DoC Senior Biodiversity Ranger Denise Fastier said the reintroduction of kākā has been successful, with the release on Sunday the fourth in the area (the others were in 2013, 2014, and 2017).

"We know it's worked really well because at the beginning of the year we had chicks hatched to un-banded parents."

That means the chicks are the grandchildren of introduced birds.

"So now we've got at least three generations thriving in the area, which is just awesome to see."

Cape Sanctuary started introducing kākā around the same time as the Poutiri Ao ō Tāne project, and there are two remnant natural populations in Hawke's Bay, in the Kaweka Ranges and Maungataniwha.

"It's hoped some of these birds might pop in for a visit, be beguiled by some of our hot new chicks, and stay to help the population grow.

"Or, equally, it could go the other way with the results of successful breeding of this population spreading out to the wider landscape and reinvigorating others.

"Kākā were once common throughout New Zealand, but predators and loss of habitat reduced their numbers."

She said it had taken years of invasive predator control to be able to re-introduce kākā to the region.

"It's great to have such a positive outcome for the enormous efforts made by many to get to this stage."

General manager at Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust James Lyver said the release was a vital step in restoring the area.

"Our aim is to restore the kākā population along with other manu (birds) to when there were so many that the maunga roared with the sound of birdlife.

"By working with DoC, the Regional Council and others, we as tangata whenua are getting closer to restoring the mauri of Maungaharuru."

DoC is looking for volunteers to help rangers feed the birds daily over the next few months, and is happy to offer free accommodation at Boundary Stream to anyone interested.

There are around 10,000 kākā in New Zealand, the majority on predator free offshore islands like Kāpiti, Hauturu o Toi (Little Barrier) and Whenua Hou (Codfish Island).