Say goodbye to the North Island Hector's dolphin - the critically endangered, pint-sized marine mammal is now known as Maui's dolphin.
Scientists from the Department of Conservation and Auckland University have found the North Island Hector's dolphins differ from their more numerous South Island cousins in body form, skeletal features and
DNA.
Conservation Minister Chris Carter said the North Island dolphins had been classified as a separate subspecies and given the new name Cephalrynchus hectori maui.
"These are beautiful creatures, and there aren't many of them left. There may be as few as 100 to 150 still alive, making them as rare as the kakapo," he said.
The dolphins, which grow to 1.7m long, are found on the northwest coast of the North Island between New Plymouth and Dargaville.
The South Island Hector's dolphin, estimated to number around 7000, is found around all southern coasts.
Both subspecies are unique to New Zealand waters.
The Maui's dolphin lives in shallow inshore waters and is at risk from fishers' set nets.
The Ministry of Fisheries has proposed wide-ranging bans on set netting in some North Island waters to protect the dolphin but the fishing industry has challenged the proposal.
Fisheries Minister Pete Hodgson has yet to decide where the set netting ban should be imposed.
North Island Hector's Dolphin
Herald feature: Environment
