Before five kākāpō chicks were shipped off to their new home, some of us at the rūnanga were lucky enough to get close to them in their temporary enclosure in Invercargill.

These 89-day-old chicks — which we thought were adult birds — were heading to Meridan’s Manapōuri hydro station in Fiordland National Park for the official announcement of a partnership between the Department of Conservation and Meridian Energy.

Even luckier were Peter and Colin (Toe) Topi who represented Awarua Rūnanga at the official announcement. [Read more…]

Meridian Energy has today been named as the new national partner of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, in a partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC). The partnership was announced at Meridian’s Manapōuri hydro station, located in Fiordland National Park, as part of a kākāpō chick release on Pukenui/Anchor Island. CEO Mark Binns says Meridian is delighted to be able to contribute to the ongoing conservation of the rare and iconic kākāpō. [Read more…]