Meridian Energy and the Department of Conservation's (DOC) are to continue their Kākāpō Recovery Programme (KRP) partnership for another three years.

Meridian has been National Partner of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme since 2016. 

Meridian CEO, Neal Barclay said the company was committed to helping protect the natural environment and proud to be raising awareness of the plight of kākāpō.

"I have seen first-hand the hard work of the dedicated team and had the privilege of getting up close to this amazing bird. Visiting Whenua Hou was a once in a lifetime experience and I hope that one day this can be a reality for other New Zealanders". 

“It’s great to see the hard work paying off and the kākāpō population reaching numbers not seen in decades. But we’re conscious that this growth and a successful 2022 breeding season brings a whole raft of new challenges for the recovery programme, like habitat and energy supplies in remote locations,” Barclay said.

Acting Director General for DOC, Henry Weston, said Meridian’s contribution to kākāpō conservation was substantial.

“They have played a significant role in upgrading kākāpō related infrastructure and power-systems, and greatly reduced our reliance on generators on the remote island sites. The ongoing partnership with Meridian will enable us to build on advancing kākāpō research including population health and improved breeding management techniques.”

Tāne Davis, Ngāi Tahu’s appointee to the Kākāpō Recovery Group, said kākāpō were treasured by Ngāi Tahu as a taonga species.

“Kākāpō are part of our tribal identity and it’s wonderful to see that Meridian values them too. As the Kākāpō population grows, emphasis is now on pest free habitats for kākāpō.” 

Kākāpō Recovery is a world class conservation programme which has been in place since 1995, working to bring back kākāpō (pronounced car-car-paw) from the brink of extinction from a low of just 51 birds in 1995.

The Kākāpō Recovery Programme supports breeding populations on four predator-free islands: Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, off Stewart Island; Pukenui/Anchor Island and Te Kākahu-o-Tamatea/Chalky Island - both in southwest Fiordland and Hauturu/Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

For more information on the partnership visit Meridian Energy: www.meridian.co.nz/kakapo

For more on DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme visit http://kakaporecovery.org.nz/