We've created a special series for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023 that focuses on three endemic manu (kākā, kāhu or kērangi and kākāpō) and features kaimahi from different departments across the Zoo.
Auckland Zoo would like to acknowledge Ngāi Tahu as kaitiaki of the charismatic kākāpō. Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation’s Kākāpō Recovery Team have worked to increase the populations of kākāpō and today the species sits at an incredible 247 birds.
The whakatauākī shared in our video below was composed by the late Ngāpuhi Kaumātua Riki Cherrington and Tāne Davis, from Ngāi Tahu. It honours the importance of kākāpō as a taonga species to iwi, reflects on the role of this manu in the natural world, and recognises the role conservation has played in saving the kākāpō for generations to come. Our thanks and appreciation to Tāne Davis and Ngāi Tahu for permission to use the whakatauākī.
Stay tuned as we share each episode this week!