Four more takahē released into Greenstone Valley

In late March 2024, four takahē, named Drummond, Orepuki, Rārangi, and Otahu, were released into the middle of the Greenstone Valley. These takahē have joined the 24 manu that have successfully made the whenua their home since August 2023.

The four newcomers will even up the numbers of male and female takahē in the valley, with the desired outcome being that the un-paired manu find a partner ahead of the next breeding season. If everything goes to plan, there will be 15 breeding pairs established by August.

While visiting the whenua to release these additional manu, the Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers spotted a total of four healthy juvenile birds that hatched in the wild during last year’s breeding season.  

This is a very encouraging sign that the takahē are thriving in their new habitat and a credit to the predator control work that the DOC team have overseen.

This autumn, local rūnaka representatives will collaborate with the DOC takahē team to catch, band and attach transmitters onto the juveniles. This will help us track their survival for the next five years.