Have you met a takahē yet? Kua tūtaki anō koe ki te takahē?

April is Takahē Awareness Month and it's the perfect time to go meet your local takahē. Join in to celebrate takahē and recognise Ngāi Tahu, the Takahē Recovery Programme and the network of people involved in ensuring the takahē is never considered extinct again.

Did you know?

  • Takahē are endangered, with fewer than 500 birds in existence (as of October 2023).
  • Takahē are bigger and more brightly coloured than the common pūkeko.
  • Takahē are considered a taonga (treasured) species of Ngāi Tahu.
  • The long-term goal is growing the wild takahē population.
  • Finding new wild homes is the biggest challenge.
  • Fulton Hogan has been the national partner of the Takahē Recovery Programme for five years.
Courting pair of Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetter) on Kāpiti Island
Rights: Geoff de Lisle

Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

The takahē is a flightless land bird endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. This is Bargie (male bird on left) and Ihi, a courting pair photographed on Kāpiti Island in 2016.

For more information on how you can support this iconic species see: www.doc.govt.nz/news/events/national-events/takahe-awareness-month/

Related content

For more check out the Hub’s collection of Takahē content from a collaboration with ZEALANDIA:

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