Another year in the life
Orokonui's takahē whānau is spreading its wings, Madison Kelly writes.
The emergence of Puaka and Matariki in the night sky mark a period of change. Indicators of seasonal shifts and the incoming Māori new year, they compel us to look back, in preparation for the future. While colder months encourage us towards rest and reflection, our native birdlife is increasingly busy securing territories, mates and kai.
The winter hustling of manu can be deceptively subtle. Peeping calls of kakaruai in the distance. A miromiro flitting past, beak full of nest-insulating lichen. Elsewhere in the sanctuary, certain pre-nesting agendas are more blatant. Throughout the grasslands, large clumps of disrupted earth pepper the ground. Neatly snipped toetoe lies in mysterious piles. Tussocks seem to bend at strange angles, compressed into miniature archways and domes. These industrious interventions are the work of takahē, who live under the care of Orokonui and the Department of Conservation's National Takahē Recovery Programme.
Noticing signs of takahē browsing and nesting is an ecological treat. For many visitors, a journey in the valley may be their first and only chance to observe a wild environment complete with these mighty endemic swamp hens. Presumed extinct until their 1948 rediscovery in the Murchison Mountains, the resilient manu now number about 500 birds. These taoka live across a sparse but growing selection of sanctuary and wild sites throughout Aotearoa, first arriving at Orokonui in 2012.
Recovery work begun 75 years ago saved the species from demise. Luckily, recent milestones at Orokonui point towards a more hopeful future for takahē. In the upper grasslands, a whānau of four are thriving. A recent visit from Doc saw positive health checks for both the breeding pair, Waimarie and Bennett, and their two juveniles, who also received their bands. The unique band combinations will act as visual identifiers for the rest of the juveniles' lives. The title for most surprising health check was undoubtedly claimed by the older of the two siblings, who weighed in at a hefty 2.8kg, already heavier than their mother Waimarie. Such results speak to Waimarie and Bennett's remarkable parenting, having successfully hatched nine chicks since their 2020 Orokonui translocation.
Their capacity for chick-raising has been boosted by older offspring like Ihaka, one of three chicks from Summer 2023. Ihaka lived at Orokonui for a full year to help feed and care for his younger siblings. This year, he became the first Orokonui-born takahē to move directly into the wild. While many young takahē spend time honing their wild skills at Doc's Burwood Bush before release elsewhere, Ihaka graduated straight from the upper grasslands and joined a cohort in the Rees Valley, one of two wild sites on Ngāi Tahu land established in the past two years. Fitted with GPS tracking, information about Ihaka's movements and life in his new home will contribute to our growing understanding of wild takahē and their conservation.
At Orokonui, supplementary plantings of haumata (tussock) — protected from browsing beaks by chicken wire cages — are now filling out open sections of pasture grass, getting ready to sustain incoming chicks and prepare them with vital foraging skills for their future departures.
Of course, with departures come arrivals. At the valley floor, a new pair are finding their feet.
Jessie, hailing from Burwood Bush, and Bounty, from Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary, bring the Orokonui population to six. While there's hope this young duo may one day raise their own chicks, their present task is adjusting to life on the east coast. Visitors walking the Robin Valley track are asked to give the young couple plenty of space while they take their time to settle.
In many ways, Jessie and Bounty's arrival is perfectly timed for this turn in the year. Among new plans and new wishes for takahē we find a moment to reflect on their legacy in the sanctuary.
Most recently, the lower valley site functioned as a retirement block for Orokonui's oldest takahē, Paku and Quammen. The pair lived the last 11 years of their lives at Orokonui and were impressive foster parents. Their first foster chick, Kotahi, later fathered our upper grassland's own Bennett. With each new season, the whakapapa and stories of these charismatic taoka become more richly woven.
Ongoing work focused on takahē advocacy, sanctuary biosecurity, and developing our takahē friendly habitat are vital parts of the story. With the help of mana whenua, Orokonui staff, volunteers, and local supporters, together we can look forward to discovering how (and where) future takahē may roam.
Madison Kelly is head kaiārahi/guide at Te Korowai o Mihiwaka Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
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Otago Daily Times
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Another year in the life
Orokonui's takahē whānau is spreading its wings, Madison Kelly writes. The emergence of Puaka and Matariki in the night sky mark a period of change. Indicators of seasonal shifts and the incoming Māori new year, they compel us to look back, in preparation for the future. While colder months encourage us towards rest and reflection, our native birdlife is increasingly busy securing territories, mates and kai. The winter hustling of manu can be deceptively subtle. Peeping calls of kakaruai in the distance. A miromiro flitting past, beak full of nest-insulating lichen. Elsewhere in the sanctuary, certain pre-nesting agendas are more blatant. Throughout the grasslands, large clumps of disrupted earth pepper the ground. Neatly snipped toetoe lies in mysterious piles. Tussocks seem to bend at strange angles, compressed into miniature archways and domes. These industrious interventions are the work of takahē, who live under the care of Orokonui and the Department of Conservation's National Takahē Recovery Programme. Noticing signs of takahē browsing and nesting is an ecological treat. For many visitors, a journey in the valley may be their first and only chance to observe a wild environment complete with these mighty endemic swamp hens. Presumed extinct until their 1948 rediscovery in the Murchison Mountains, the resilient manu now number about 500 birds. These taoka live across a sparse but growing selection of sanctuary and wild sites throughout Aotearoa, first arriving at Orokonui in 2012. Recovery work begun 75 years ago saved the species from demise. Luckily, recent milestones at Orokonui point towards a more hopeful future for takahē. In the upper grasslands, a whānau of four are thriving. A recent visit from Doc saw positive health checks for both the breeding pair, Waimarie and Bennett, and their two juveniles, who also received their bands. The unique band combinations will act as visual identifiers for the rest of the juveniles' lives. The title for most surprising health check was undoubtedly claimed by the older of the two siblings, who weighed in at a hefty 2.8kg, already heavier than their mother Waimarie. Such results speak to Waimarie and Bennett's remarkable parenting, having successfully hatched nine chicks since their 2020 Orokonui translocation. Their capacity for chick-raising has been boosted by older offspring like Ihaka, one of three chicks from Summer 2023. Ihaka lived at Orokonui for a full year to help feed and care for his younger siblings. This year, he became the first Orokonui-born takahē to move directly into the wild. While many young takahē spend time honing their wild skills at Doc's Burwood Bush before release elsewhere, Ihaka graduated straight from the upper grasslands and joined a cohort in the Rees Valley, one of two wild sites on Ngāi Tahu land established in the past two years. Fitted with GPS tracking, information about Ihaka's movements and life in his new home will contribute to our growing understanding of wild takahē and their conservation. At Orokonui, supplementary plantings of haumata (tussock) — protected from browsing beaks by chicken wire cages — are now filling out open sections of pasture grass, getting ready to sustain incoming chicks and prepare them with vital foraging skills for their future departures. Of course, with departures come arrivals. At the valley floor, a new pair are finding their feet. Jessie, hailing from Burwood Bush, and Bounty, from Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary, bring the Orokonui population to six. While there's hope this young duo may one day raise their own chicks, their present task is adjusting to life on the east coast. Visitors walking the Robin Valley track are asked to give the young couple plenty of space while they take their time to settle. In many ways, Jessie and Bounty's arrival is perfectly timed for this turn in the year. Among new plans and new wishes for takahē we find a moment to reflect on their legacy in the sanctuary. Most recently, the lower valley site functioned as a retirement block for Orokonui's oldest takahē, Paku and Quammen. The pair lived the last 11 years of their lives at Orokonui and were impressive foster parents. Their first foster chick, Kotahi, later fathered our upper grassland's own Bennett. With each new season, the whakapapa and stories of these charismatic taoka become more richly woven. Ongoing work focused on takahē advocacy, sanctuary biosecurity, and developing our takahē friendly habitat are vital parts of the story. With the help of mana whenua, Orokonui staff, volunteers, and local supporters, together we can look forward to discovering how (and where) future takahē may roam. Madison Kelly is head kaiārahi/guide at Te Korowai o Mihiwaka Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
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