Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 17 April 2026
Five kea have been taken from South Westland towns to the South Island Wildlife Hospital for lead poisoning treatment in recent weeks and one kea found dead, prompting a call for people to take steps to help protect kea.
Kea ingest lead when they chew on lead roofing materials on older buildings (including flashings and lead head nails) and scavenge the carcasses of wild animals killed using lead shot.
Of the five kea taken to hospital, one has died and four have been treated and released.
In hospital, the kea undergo chelation therapy to remove lead from their system. Treatment is only effective within a narrow window after exposure. Once lead is deposited in the bones it can’t be removed, and in younger birds it can also interfere with brain development.
Lead is highly toxic to kea and can affect almost every major organ system. Kea are naturally inquisitive and because lead is soft (and tastes sweet to them), they will chew on lead-based materials found in their habitat.
More than 800 kea have had blood samples tested for lead between 2006 and 2022. Of these 84 per cent had some lead detected indicating lead exposure and 23 per cent had toxic blood lead levels.
Department of Conservation Ranger Tracey Dearlove says risks to curious kea are complex and often linked to scrounging for human food.
“When kea get easy access to human foods, through unsecured rubbish, compost bins or people feeding them, they quickly learn to scrounge. Once they associate people with food, they are more likely to hang around houses, eat lead on old buildings and cause damage to property. This also makes them more vulnerable to other risks, such as being hit by cars,” she says.
“We work with local communities to help people with kea-proofing their properties. The three golden rules are: remove all access to food, remove all sources of lead, and make your property as boring as possible to kea.
“Securing rubbish and compost bins is critical. If kea access food even once it can alter their behaviour, and what happens at one property can have flow-on effects for neighbours across the community. When people are out naturing they can also make sure that kea don’t get access to their food, and spread the word to others who may not know.”
Both DOC and the Kea Conservation Trust have work underway to reduce sources of lead in kea habitat. Lead shot is no longer used in work to control tahr, and lead is removed from DOC structures as backcountry structures are maintained. At least 125 DOC structures have had lead removed in the last 18 months.
Financial assistance from the Kea Conservation Trust is available to individuals and businesses wanting to remove lead from their buildings in areas with kea.
The trust has been leading work to remove lead from private dwellings working with property owners in areas throughout the South Island, including the Tasman District (St Arnaud, Abel Tasman, Golden Bay), Arthur’s Pass, Aoraki/Mt Cook, Ōkārito, Franz Josef, Fox Glacier, Haast, Mount Aspiring and Milford Sound. Since the start of the Trust’s programme, the equivalent of more than 500 buildings have been made lead-free, removing four tonnes of lead from the environment.
DOC and the Kea Conservation Trust also provide advice and support when kea are getting into things they shouldn’t. Practical solutions can include covering rubber boots on chimney flues or using extended ridge capping so kea can’t chew soft weather strips.
People needing support with inquisitive kea in their community can contact 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) or the Kea Conservation Trust contact@keaconservation.nz for support.
Background information
Lead is commonly found on buildings constructed prior to 1991, often in the form of lead head nails and lead flashings. It is still reasonably common in many places where kea live, including the towns of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier.
The size of the problem of kea eating lead has been well known for some time. Recent isotope testing of poisoned kea showed a roughly equal split in lead sources between buildings and ammunition.
NATURE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM HERE
Nature isn’t scenery. Nature is a society that we rely on for everything, every day. It’s behind our identity and our way of life.