A new whio bird population has been discovered for the first time in decades with the help of a golden labrador retriever.
Seven endangered whio, or blue duck, were found by Glen Newton, Paparoa Wildlife Trust manager and owner of Tui, the certified protective species dog in the Paparoa National Park.
The discovery on the Ten Mile Stream catchment, located on the West Coast of the South Island, marked the first confirmed sighting of whio in the area for decades.
Newton said that at first, he only found feathers from the birds, but Tui perked up and encouraged him to venture further into the rugged bush.
“It was pretty hard going, but as we got to the top of the gorge, Tui got more animated, and I was trying to figure out what she was looking at,” he said.
“That was when I found a pair with two quite large ducklings, just sitting under a rock.
“Then we went further up the river, and we found another pair.”
Newton said whio used to be a common sight in the Paparoa ranges, but numbers had been declining.
According to the Department of Conservation (DoC), whio are found nowhere else in the world and are rarer than some species of kiwi.
Once widespread throughout New Zealand, the birds are now limited to the less-modified catchments of the Urewera, East Cape and central areas of the North Island and along the West Coast from Nelson to Fiordland.
Fewer than 3000 whio are left, making them a threatened species.
“Like a lot of New Zealand, we have had predators which have greatly impacted on the population,” he said.
But Newton said Tui played a vital role in the discovery of the whio.
“Without Tui, I would have just walked right past them; they were pretty well hidden,” he said.
“Having a dog is a real key tool in finding these birds.”
However, Newton said dogs and their trainers need to do a lot more than just pass a test to become a certified protective species dog.
They’re required to take part in an initial 18–24-month training programme run by DoC.
“It’s quite a rigorous programme; you have to pass through various checks to get in,” Newton said. “You have to work with the dog daily.”
Newton said that although Tui was coming to the end of her working life, New Zealand had been a “leading light” in using dogs for predator control.
“[New Zealand] has probably over 100 dogs as we speak, not just on threatened species, but also targeting predator species like rats, all managed by the Department of Conservation.”
Both Newton and Tui are part of the West Coast Predator Control Partnership, backed by the Development West Coast (DWC) and its Nature Economy Project.
Formed in 2023, the partnership involves three long-standing West Coast conservation projects: the Motukiekie Wilderness Trust, the Paparoa Wildlife Trust, and the Rainy Creek Ecological Restoration Project.
Previously, each trust had been working independently to remove predators, with the aim of preserving the habitat for species such as kiwi and long-tailed bats; however, working together proved more effective.
It employed 12 part-time contractors, conducted more than 1200 hours of predator control and secured $291,621 in external funding to sustain predator control operations across a combined area of 18,650ha.
Leon Dalziel, Motukiekie project co-founder, said the discovery of the whio population was incredibly motivating.
“Confirming the presence of whio pairs within our combined trapping zone is a major breakthrough,” he said.
“It shows that our years of hard work restoring habitat and controlling predators are paying off.”
But it’s not just the whio population that has grown.
A collaboration with Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP) meant the team could offer on-the-ground industry training and employment opportunities for outdoor education graduates.
Zane Smith, a team member, said working with TPP was beneficial for both parties.
“We’ve managed to not only reduce burnout but actually grow the team,” he said.
“We now have both paid and volunteer roles for young outdoor and environmental professionals, many of whom have been trained here on the coast and are looking to build their careers in conservation.”