Rotoehu Forest is now home to New Zealand’s second-largest mainland kōkako population.
The kōkako population is “rapidly expanding” at Rotoehu Forest - between Rotorua, Whakatāne and Te Puke - according to a new survey of the birds.
The first survey in four years has revealed huge growth for the local population of the secretive forest birds, thanks to ongoing efforts to control introduced predators using bait stations and aerially applied 1080 bait pellets, the Department of Conservation (DoC) said in a statement.
Rotoehu Forest is now home to New Zealand’s second-largest mainland kōkako population, with 289 pairs of the ancient wattle bird recently counted – an 89 per cent increase on the 157 pairs present in 2019.
The survey was done across 19 days in April by a team of seven experienced contractors, with some support from volunteers, to cover 2450 hectares of public conservation land, the statement said.
“This result is significant for the local population of kōkako and for the future of the species,” DoC senior ranger Rebecca Newland said.
Kōkako are a taonga for the local iwi - Ngāti Mākino - and they hold a special place in the stories and traditional knowledge of the area. Ngāti Makino Iwi Authority is working alongside DoC to help protect kōkako and other native species at Rotoehu Forest.
“Preserving our native kōkako species is deeply rooted in our cultural and spiritual connection to the land and its environment,” Ngāti Mākino Tribal Authority environmental manager John Rapana said.
“Over the centuries, observation of our kōkako and other manu taonga species resulted in an accumulation of local knowledge about their behaviour, habitat, and seasonal patterns that was observed, contextualised and appropriated into our cultural stories and practices.
“From an iwi perspective, we are obligated to maintain our pou tiaki [guardianship] role with [regard to] our environment and its inhabitants.
“We must continue to develop multiple skill sets for our people to be competent and confident to undertake specialised roles to support our manu taonga and its environment.”
DoC said it would continue to use aerially applied 1080 bait in combination with a ground control programme led by the local community to help kōkako and other native species in the area to breed.
This includes kārearea [NZ falcons], tītitipounamu [riflemen], kererū [woodland pigeons], korimako [bellbirds], pōpokatea [whiteheads], toutouwai [North Island robins], tūī, ruru [morepork owls] and pekapeka [bats].
“The biggest threat to kōkako and many other native species is being killed by introduced predators including rats, stoats and possums,” Newland said.
“By regularly controlling these threats with a range of tools, native species, including plants and insects, have a much greater chance of survival. This creates the diversity ecosystems need to thrive.”
The Rotoehu Ecological Trust, which has managed bait stations in the forest since 2013, said the survey result was a testament to the hard work of community volunteers and advocates who have strived to protect the forest for decades.
“We pay tribute to all who have gone before us in creating and maintaining the safe spaces in which this kōkako population has thrived,” trustee Jane Bird said.
“In the late 1980s, protests by members of Forest & Bird Te Puke led to the creation of a protected conservation and ecological area, which was home to the ancestors of the current kōkako population.
“Since that time, many organisations have supported the population, and Rotoehu Ecological Trust/Kōkako Ecosanctuary is very fortunate to be assisting DoC with management of what is now a rapidly expanding kōkako population.”
The trust said it hoped to install more bait stations in the forest to provide greater protection for kōkako living outside the 1367ha area its members currently cover.
“We want to eventually cover 2000ha. To enable this, we need to secure funding from commercial and/or private sponsorship, and we are calling out for help to protect future generations of kōkako,” Bird said.
There are more than 2000 kōkako breeding pairs in total throughout New Zealand, with the population trend continuing to rise in areas with sustained predator control processes in place.
The largest mainland population is Pureora Forest, with more than 600 pairs, followed by Rotoehu Forest with 289 pairs and the Hunua Ranges with more than 250 pairs.
Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island also hosts a large population of more than 400 pairs.
Aerial 1080 predator control in Rotoehu Forest was part of DoC’s National Predator Control Programme.
The programme is protecting the remaining populations of threatened native species, while tools continue to be developed with the goal of eradicating possums, rats and stoats by 2050.
