A mixed group of 193 Māhoenui giant wētā moved to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari this week. Photo / Lucy Schultz
A mixed group of 193 Māhoenui giant wētā moved to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari this week. Photo / Lucy Schultz
A cohort of 193 Māhoenui giant wētā, the result of a successful captive breeding programme, moved into a new “safe haven” this week.
The wētā moved from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, marking a special milestone in the conservation of this critically endangered nocturnal insect species.
Yesterday’s translocationhas been several years in the making and was made possible by the captive breeding programme at the kiwi house – the only one of its kind for this species.
“The programme began in 2021 with founder individuals transferred from the Māhoenui Scientific Reserve, laying the foundation for a long-term recovery plan,” said the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House wildlife manager, Mathew Ronaldson.
The programme involved developing “specialist wētā husbandry techniques”, including artificial incubation and climate-controlled environments.
“A couple of days [later] she will go and lay her eggs [into soil]. And then we would switch the soil over. So she would have the eggs in an ice cream container full of soil for two months.
“From there, it can take 10 months to two years for hatching to happen.”
Ronaldson said he was really excited about the translocation, saying it was the largest group of weta they had released to date.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is already home to a Māhoenui giant wētā population after a previous translocation in 2012.
The wētā moved from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Department of Conservation senior biodiversity adviser Amanda Haigh said she was thrilled about the second release of weta to SMM.
“It’s a real milestone for the Māhoenui giant weta recovery programme. This is one step towards one of our goals to establish new populations in predator-free sanctuaries.
“Releasing the precious offspring of captive wētā into a natural habitat at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari – free of predators and threats – is really rewarding for everyone involved."
She said Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari was chosen because of its predator-free environment.
“This is a safe haven for them.
A cohort of 193 Māhoenui giant wētā was released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
“The other thing ... is the beautiful forest, it’s really good quality natural habitat.”
Haigh said the translocation had been several years in the making and reflected ”just how successful" Ōtorohanga Kiwi House’s captive breeding programme has been.
“We are hoping we’ll be back again with more.”
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari biodiversity lead Tori Budd said the team were very excited about the translocation.
“It’s really special to be part of such an amazing piece of mahi that’s saving a special taonga.
“We’re just hoping that given we are pest-free, we can give them a safe space to really thrive.”
Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, who regard the wētā as a taonga species, have gone through a tono (request) process reflecting the shared kaitiakitanga and enduring relationship between the iwi.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari chief executive Helen Hughes highlighted the importance of collaboration.
“Working alongside iwi, the Department of Conservation and Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, we’re proud to support the recovery of this nationally significant species and once again contribute to the protection of Aotearoa’s unique biodiversity.”
About Māhoenui giant wētā
The Māhoenui giant wētā is one of the world’s largest insects, measuring up to 7cm and weighing about 15 grams.
Originating from a single site in the North Island and found at only three other locations in the North Island, they face serious threats, especially from predators.
There have been multiple attempts to translocate the weta to different sites over the past 20 years, but success has been achieved only at three locations: Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, private land at Warrenheip near Cambridge, and Mahurangi Island, off the Coromandel coast.
Female wētā lay groups of around 100 eggs and hatch only when the weather warms up. This can take up to 10 months.
It takes up to two years for the wētā to reach adulthood.
According to Predator Free NZ, there are 70 species of wētā, including 11 species of giant wētā, in Aotearoa.
Wētā as a species are as ancient as the tuatara – they’ve been around for 190 million years.
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.
