First kākāpō chick in four years hatches on Valentine’s Day

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  16 February 2026

Kākāpō Yasmine hatched an egg fostered from kākāpō Tīwhiri on Valentine’s Day, bringing the total number of kākāpō to 237 – though it won’t be officially added to the population until it fledges.

DOC Operations Manager for kākāpō/takahē Deidre Vercoe says the first chick of the breeding season is an exciting moment on the long road to recovery for this critically endangered species.

“These exceptionally rare taonga only breed every 2–4 years, so it’s a long time between chicks. We have more breeding-age birds than ever before this season, so we’re anticipating many more chicks to come.”

Deidre says fostering eggs and chicks between different kākāpō mums is one way to improve nest success rates.

“Kākāpō mums typically have the best outcomes when raising a maximum of two chicks. Biological mum Tīwhiri has four fertile eggs this season already, while Yasmine, an experienced foster mum, had no fertile eggs.”

Kākāpō face a range of challenges with low hatching success being a key obstacle. So far this season there are 187 eggs, and 74 of them are fertile. Of those, not all will hatch, and not all chicks will survive through to fledging.

“The kākāpō population was once down to just 51 birds which created a genetic bottleneck we are still managing today,” says Deidre.

“Kākāpō are one of the most intensively managed species in the world and while numbers are still so low, the breeding season requires a lot of intervention.

“Priority goes to the eggs and chicks that are less well-represented across the gene pool, and we have a more hands-off approach with those that are well represented. This approach helps us answer questions around what a natural breeding season might look like one day.”

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group Tāne Davis says the hatching of the first kākāpō chick of the season on Pukenui Anchor Island is a welcome milestone of special significance to Ngāi Tahu.

“Pukenui Anchor Island serves an important purpose in accommodating the growing numbers of not only kākāpō but other critically endangered taonga species.

“While it is wonderful to see the manu thriving on this island due to its predator free status, we need to continue our collective efforts to create other safe havens for the chicks of the future.

“One of our future aspirations through Predator Free Rakiura is to return the kākāpō back to its original home,” Tāne says.

Until that happens, the best way for people to see a kākāpō is Kākāpō Cam, a live camera streaming from the nest of a female named Rakiura, on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island.

The camera was first trialled in 2022, and Deidre Vercoe says the team is thrilled to have it up again for breeding season.

“Kākāpō cam is a great way for people to see conservation in real time and do their own little bit of naturing from their home, office or wherever in the world they might be,” she says.

Rakiura is currently sitting on two eggs, and all going well, her first egg is due to hatch in about a week, which could mark a world first opportunity for viewers to watch a chick from one of New Zealand’s most elusive species hatch, live in its nest.

The Kākāpō Recovery Programme has been supported since 2016 by National Partner Meridian Energy.

Meridian Energy CEO Mike Roan says it’s a privilege to stand alongside the Department of Conservation during this remarkable period of growth.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome the first kākāpō chick, beginning what we hope will be a bumper breeding season. Every chick is a milestone for the species, and we’re excited to play a part in helping these incredible birds thrive for generations to come.”

Background information

Since 1995, DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme and Ngāi Tahu have worked together to rebuild the population from just 51 manu (31 males, 20 females) and we’ve supported the species through 12 breeding seasons, reaching a population high in 2022 of 252. 

This breeding season is the 13th season in 30 years of the programme. This is because kākāpō only breed once every two to four years. The only known breeding trigger for kākāpō is the mast (mass fruiting) of the rimu tree, which last occurred in 2022.

There are 236 adult kākāpō alive today and each wears a small backpack radio transmitter to help track their location and monitor their activity levels.

There are three breeding populations, on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island near Rakiura, and Fiordland’s Pukenui/Anchor Island and Te Kāhaku/Chalky Island.

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