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A record 277 hihi / stitchbirds fledged on Tiritiri Matangi Island this breeding season, allowing many birds to spread their wings and leave the flock.
Earlier this month, 40 hihi were relocated to the Auckland Council managed Shakespear Open Sanctuary. They join Shakespear’s small but thriving population translocated in 2024.
Environmental champion Councillor Mike Lee says the reintroduction of hihi to the Whangaparāoa Peninsula enables more people to see and hear them in their natural habitat.
The birds are carefully unloaded in boxes after travelling from Tiritiri Matangi Island, ahead of their release.
“Thirty years ago, I was present when the ancestors of these hihi birds were introduced to Tiritiri Matangi. To be able to help release their descendants on the mainland really is a conservation dream come true,” says Cr Lee.
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DOC Tiritiri Matangi Ranger Nick Fisentzidis agrees the translocation from island to mainland shows great outcomes for nature are possible when iwi, DOC, council, and community band together.
“They are one of Aotearoa’s rarest and quirkiest birds. There is a total population of only around 2000 nationwide and they require a lot of special attention, so it takes a village!” says Nick.
“We work side by side with Ngāti Manuhiri, Auckland Council, Hihi Conservation Charitable Trust, Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi, Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society and conservation research institutions to care for these taonga.”
Auckland Council Northern’s Principal Ranger Jason Maguiness acknowledges all those who have helped bring hihi to the Shakespear Open Sanctuary, before 40 new birds are released.
John Ewen, Hihi Conservation Charitable Trust Trustee and Professor of Conservation Science at Zoological Society of London says hihi are nationally threatened, with Te Hauturu-o-toi Little Barrier Island holding the only naturally-surviving population since the 1880s.
“Habitat loss, the introduction of predators such as cats and rats and specimen collection probably contributed to the decline of hihi on the mainland,” says John.
Thanks to significant recovery efforts, there are now small managed populations of hihi on Tiritiri Matangi and Kapiti islands, Zealandia in Wellington, Bushy Park Tarapuruhi near Wanganui, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, Rotokare Scenic Reserve and Shakepear Open Sanctuary.
“This season has been superb on both Tiritiri Matangi and Shakespear, likely due to lots of natural food. Flax and cabbage trees, in particular, were abundant,” says John.
DOC Tiritiri Matangi Ranger Nick Fisentzidis agrees that the translocation project from island to mainland is an example of the great outcomes for nature that can be achieved when iwi government, council, and community band together.
An initial translocation to Shakespear of 40 birds in May 2024 has been a resounding success, with at least 60 chicks fledging throughout the summer.
Open Sanctuary Senior Ranger Matt Maitland says invaluable volunteer support from the Shakespear Open Sanctuary Society Incorporated (SOSSI) has enabled the birds to flourish.
“It’s not an easy journey, being moved to a completely new site, but we are working together to give the birds a better chance. A second release to Shakespear brings genetic diversity to the hihi already present, and greater security and resilience for the species against any challenges they may face in the future.”
SOSSI chair Owen Johnston says Shakespear is the ideal setting to release more hihi, with around 350 hectares of native forest providing enough food and nesting opportunities.
“We are set up to keep a close eye on the new arrivals through ongoing monitoring and supplementary feeding, which will help them to get established.”
All hihi whakapapa to Te Hauturu-o-toi. Hihi are taonga to Ngāti Manuhiri, the iwi with an ancestral land connection to Hauturu, Tiritiri Matangi and Shakespear.
Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust spokesperson Delma O’Kane says, “as kaitiaki, we acknowledge the dedication of all involved in this kaupapa, from rangers and conservationists to the local community.
“It is through their unwavering commitment to pest control, monitoring, and habitat restoration that both Tiritiri Matangi and Shakespear Regional Park continue to thrive as a sanctuary for our native flora and fauna.”