E koekoe te tūi, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū

The tūi chatters, the kākā cackles and the kererū coo’s

Photo by Richard Tully

Waiheke wildlife hub

Discover more about the unique and fascinating wildlife that inspires and drives all of the mahi dedicated to its protection.

  • Backyard birding

    Backyard birding

    Learn about Waiheke’s native birds with bird whisperer Tim Lovegrove, and how predator-free efforts help them thrive.

  • Waiheke Wildlife

    Waiheke Wildlife

    Check out the gallery of Waiheke’s fascinating native species the communities working hard to protect.

  • Backyard bugging

    Backyard bugging

    Discover how you can make a difference in your backyard with these informative and entertaining videos about the insect world.

  • Learn more videos

    Learn more videos

    Learn how to make Wētā motels, learn about predator free initiatives and much more

Latest news

Stay updated with the latest news on Waiheke’s conservation efforts

Steve Cook Steve Cook

How to help birds through the seasons — summer

Encouraging and supporting birdlife in your backyard is easier than you may think. By taking a few easy steps to create a safe space with access to food and water, you can welcome feathered friends to your garden sanctuary throughout the year. This series looks at bird behaviour through the seasons and how to support them during each one. 

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

Rat eradication tools MacGyvered

Skilled in improvisation, problem-solving and good old fashioned kiwi ingenuity, Field Team Technician Phil Salisbury is our very own MacGyver when it comes to creative solutions for tools in the rat eradication pilot.

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

A child of stars - life stages and whakapapa of a forest taonga

One of our newest team members, Rosemary Thorne is undertaking a study of te reo Māori. In a recent assignment, she explored the life stages and whakapapa (genealogy) of a forest taonga that is currently blooming throughout the country; the native puawānanga (clematis). 

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

How to help birds through the seasons — spring

Encouraging and supporting birdlife in your backyard is easier than you may think. By taking a few easy steps to create a safe space with access to food and water, you can responsibly welcome feathered friends to your garden sanctuary throughout the year. This series looks at bird behaviour through the seasons and how to support them during each one. 

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

Geckos and skinks – Jewels of the forest.

With the constant chatter of tui and the woosh of kererū wings never far from earshot, it’s no surprise that birdlife takes centre stage on Waiheke. But far below the aerial performance of birds, a much smaller and quieter native inhabitant is often hidden in plain view.

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

The long flight home: Bar-tailed godwits

Our borders might be closed, but that hasn’t stopped the influx of some 80,000 summer returnees to our shores. These are not your usual COVID-time travellers, walking in circles in MIQ facilities, they instead are the native bar-tailed godwits (kūaka) arriving home after their annual migration from Alaska. 

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

The Scoop on Poop

As we head into the spring breeding season, the Te Korowai o Waiheke field team are asking the island community to keep their eyes peeled for something hairy, brown, and long but it’s not stoats they’re talking about, it’s their poo. 

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Steve Cook Steve Cook

Finally, proof of kākāriki on Waiheke Island

Less than a month after the kākāriki photo competition went live across our platforms, we received word that images of a red-crowned parakeet had been captured in our very own Whakanewha Regional Park. 

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It will take everyone working together to make Waiheke predator-free. Learn all about the Whānau!