Maude Island kakapo to be removed

Maude Island's last five kakapo will be moved to Fiordland next month in a bid to improve their chances of breeding.

The island has been a haven for the endangered parrot for nearly 30 years and its numbers peaked three years ago at 18.

But the Department of Conservation's Paul Jansen, who leads the kakapo recovery programme, said only three chicks had been born and raised on the island, when a bird was moved from Little Barrier Island in 1998.