Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Conservation efforts step up to help endangered birds

Hawkes Bay Today
11 Mar, 2018 07:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Kotahi Chief Executive, David Ross with Cape Sanctuary co-founder Andy Lowe and Lou Sanson, Director-General, Department of Conservation. PHOTO / JOHN COWPLAND

Kotahi Chief Executive, David Ross with Cape Sanctuary co-founder Andy Lowe and Lou Sanson, Director-General, Department of Conservation. PHOTO / JOHN COWPLAND

Volunteers in a small Hawke's Bay community have built a $700,000 aviary to help protect one of the nation's most endangered birds.

The survival of New Zealand's critically endangered shore plover (tuturuatu) is another step closer following the official opening today of the Kotahi Aviary at Cape Kidnappers.

The facility is built in partnership with Kotahi, the country's largest export supply chain collaboration, Cape Sanctuary, a significant wildlife restoration programme at Cape Kidnappers, and Department of Conservation. It uses a mesh made specifically for aviaries and becomes New Zealand's third shore plover captive breeding facility.

Cape Sanctuary co-founder Andy Lowe said that with a total population of only 240 birds, the survival of the shore plover relies on biosecurity, captive breeding and predator free islands.

"It is fantastic to be part of a long-term partnership with the Department of Conservation and Kotahi to save a shore bird that will become extinct if we don't invest in active breeding and release programmes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It is our philosophy to develop long-standing partnerships with businesses, iwi and the Department of Conservation to restore native bird life for our future generations to experience native species in their natural habitat.

"In time, we will include New Zealand's iconic blue duck (whio) in the Kotahi Aviary. The river beside the aviary provides a natural resource for this nationally vulnerable species that risks extinction with a population of less than 3000," he said.

The Kotahi Aviary design mimics basic elements of shore plover habitat in the wild such as stones, shallow running water and planting. The aviary size of 11m x 80m will allow capacity for up to five breeding pairs and their juvenile birds until release.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Each season, the adjacent brooder house will allow for the incubation and hatching of two to three additional clutches (two to four eggs per clutch) per breeding pair.

Department of Conservation Director General, Lou Sanson opened the facility yesterday and said the Kotahi and Cape Sanctuary partnership was an excellent example of business taking an initiative to protect New Zealand's natural environment.

"Shore plover are at a critical point with the only sustainable, in-the-wild population being on the Chatham Islands. The work being done here supports DoC to achieve its species recovery goals.

"With the added risk of avian pox more recently, a new facility such as this one will support population build while minimising the risk of having limited captive facilities."

Kotahi chief executive David Ross said the company was proud to support Cape Sanctuary and the Department of Conservation in a committed effort to help save shore plover for generations of New Zealanders.

"This is what makes our country unique.

"Through collaborative partnerships that scale up the impact of conservation efforts, New Zealand companies can ensure that our iconic species and landscapes are protected and regenerated."

The first shore plover breeding pair is due for settlement into the Kotahi Aviary within the next four months.

Public access to the site would be by appointment only with a guide.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Watch: Deer's ill-fated dash to airport - 'I've hit the darn thing'

09 May 02:44 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

'Absolutely stunning': New $825m highway nears completion

09 May 01:12 AM
Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

58m wall, no 'fatal flaws': New details about dam for Heretaunga revealed

09 May 12:34 AM

One tiny baby’s fight to survive

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Watch: Deer's ill-fated dash to airport - 'I've hit the darn thing'

Watch: Deer's ill-fated dash to airport - 'I've hit the darn thing'

09 May 02:44 AM

It ran across suburban streets and the runway – then authorities intervened.

'Absolutely stunning': New $825m highway nears completion

'Absolutely stunning': New $825m highway nears completion

09 May 01:12 AM
Premium
58m wall, no 'fatal flaws': New details about dam for Heretaunga revealed

58m wall, no 'fatal flaws': New details about dam for Heretaunga revealed

09 May 12:34 AM
'The perfect excuse': Hastings trail lights up NZ Music Month

'The perfect excuse': Hastings trail lights up NZ Music Month

08 May 11:23 PM
Connected workers are safer workers 
sponsored

Connected workers are safer workers 

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP