Punanga Manu o Te Anau/Te Anau Bird Sanctuary is now home to three extra-special residents. On the 28 of October three kōwhiowhio (whio or blue duck) ducklings hatched from a clutch of eggs laid by the sanctuary’s captive breeding pair. 

This breeding pair arrived just two days after the South Island moved into COVID Alert Level 2 to replace the pair transferred to the sanctuary last October which, in an unusual twist, turned out to be bonded males, something that was only discovered when they began to whistle!

The current male and female pair come from eggs harvested in the wild via the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust’s Peacock Springs wildlife habitat facility in Christchurch. 

Advertisement

Advertise on the Southland App

They were welcomed to their new home in Te Anau by Ra Dallas of Ōraka-Aparima - Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and given their names.

The male is Tiaki, meaning to guard and/or protect, and the female is Manaaki, meaning to care and support. 

As only the fifth breeding pair of kōwhiowhio in captivity in the South Island, Tiaki and Manaaki have great potential to contribute to the entire breeding programme and boost the population at a rate of three clutches per annum after two years, says DOC Senior Ranger Andrew (Max) Smart. 

Genesis and the Department of Conservation (DOC) have partnered together since 2011 to secure the future of this threatened native bird. Operating under the name of Whio Forever, this partnership is implementing a national recovery plan to protect whio breeding areas and habitat.

Genesis Community Investment Manager, Jenny Burke, said the company is pleased to be able to support the captive breeding programme as it plays such an important role in the Whio Forever programme.  

“As well as hopefully producing more young ones, this pair will also be great advocates for their species. Seeing whio in the wild is not always possible so this pair will be responsible for ‘telling’ the whio story and making the public aware of the importance of the species to New Zealand.” 

Tiaki and Manaaki’s three healthy ducklings will soon be able to be seen by the public at the sanctuary on guided tours. At almost two weeks old they are already full of energy and fun to watch.  

Eventually, Tiaki and Manaaki will also be visible to the public as part of the sanctuary’s offered tours.

The support of Genesis is helping to fast track the Whio Recovery Programme, increase the number of breeding pairs, and provide ongoing predator control at the highest priority security sites, enhancing productivity and survival for these rare native ducks.