1Mar 20, 2020
Forest & Bird has published a three-year plan for nature ahead of September’s general election. New Zealanders love nature and want to protect it. It is part of our identity, the foundation of our economy, and what makes this country special. In fact, nature is at the heart of everything we do. But it has […]
2Feb 4, 2020
The announcement of funding for three conservation pest control projects in Northland, while great news masks the fact that the majority of Northland native forests on conservation land have no meaningful and consistent large scale pest control. On private land thankfully, pest control is expanding. The funding announced will expand ground based pest control […]
3Nov 15, 2019
By David Brooks Bigger and better than ever, our Bird of the Year contest had it all in 2019. Relentless mockery between campaign teams, a neck-and-neck race to the finish line between two flightless treasures and priceless publicity for our native birds and the threats they face. Nearly 43,500 New Zealanders voted between October 28 […]
4Nov 22, 2018
Forest & Bird, New Zealand’s largest independent conservation organisation, moved its bank accounts from ANZ because of serious concerns over the bank’s investments in fossil fuels. Forest & Bird asked ANZ for a fossil fuel divestment plan in 2016, but hasn’t been satisfied with the company’s response. In March 2018, Forest & Bird announced its […]
5Nov 20, 2018
One-hundred and fifty scientists from around the country have signed this letter to the Government asking for bold action to tackle climate change. Here is their letter in-full: We the undersigned, representing diverse academic disciplines, call on the government to take robust and emergency action in response to the deepening ecological crisis. The science is […]
6Oct 12, 2018
Weka are one of New Zealand’s many flightless birds. But compared with some of their more media-savvy contemporaries, it’s hard for them to get noticed. From the takahē coming out of hiding to the kiwi being the national icon, or the kākāpō being featured on BBC having intimate relations with someone’s head — it’s tough for a flightless […]
7Oct 6, 2018
Yesterday saw #NationalPoetryDay2018 and #BirdOfTheYear trending alongside one another on Twitter. Alison Ballance from Team Hoiho challenged Twitter to combine the two, calling for people to write poems about their Bird of the Year. A poem about bird beaks from @giselledraws Giselle Clarkson is running her campaign for the royal spoonbill (Kōtuku Ngutupapa) based on […]
8Oct 5, 2018
Neo the Conservation Dog has the best snoz for sniffing birds. He’s also barking for the Whio (also known as the Blue Duck) to be Bird of the Year for 2018. Likes: sniffs, swims, pats, Whio! Dislikes: stoats, yucky rivers. Quote: “If it whiffs, I sniffs” Whio are the best smelling bird in New Zealand. This is […]
9Oct 4, 2018
They may not be your traditional ‘giant, round and flightless’ New Zealand native, but Lucy Dickie and Crystal Brindle explain why pīwauwau (rock wren) still deserve your vote. Let’s face it, Bird of the Year has been dominated by the so-called ‘round bois’ who state loudly that being slightly-more-circular-than-average gives them the right to claim the […]