Kakapo boom continues with new hatchings

The kakapo population boom on Codfish Island continues, with 21 chicks now hatched and at least two more on the way.

The record-breaking season has delighted Department of Conservation staff and volunteers on the island and raised hopes for the long-term survival of the world's rarest parrot.

Kakapo were thought to be extinct until birds were discovered on Stewart Island in the 1970s.

Those birds were moved to other islands and have formed the basis of efforts to save the species. Kakapo numbers slumped to 50 in 1995 but had risen to 62 before this season began.