Melissa Boardman and Hannah Shand are Wellington-based artists with a passion for Aotearoa’s wildlife — and a particular soft spot for the New Zealand robin (toutouwai). As this year’s campaign managers for the New Zealand robin, they are using art to share the toutouwai’s story. Together, in different styles, they have created special artworks to support their […]
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 […]
A group of students from Bethlehem School are backing the Kakaruia (Black Robin) in Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year: Te Manu Rongotai o Te Tau competition. Here, they share how they are supporting this precious manu. Tēnā tātou katoa. Ko ngā akōnga o te Rumaki o Peterehema, ngā tino kaiwhakahau mō te Kakaruia (Black Robin). […]
Sixteen-year-old Michael Burton-Smith is campaigning for the Rowi (Ōkarito Brown Kiwi) to take out Forest & Bird’s prestigious Bird of the Year competition for 2018. Here, he tells us about the first time he met a Rowi and why they deserve your vote! I first fell in love with the Rowi last year when I […]
Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition started today and eagle-eyed observers will have noticed a few new additions to the lineup, writes Kimberley Collins. Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition started today and eagle-eyed observers will have noticed a few new additions to the lineup, writes Kimberley Collins. Every […]
Voting for Bird of the Year ends this Monday at 5pm and our amazing campaign managers have fought tooth and nail (or feather and claw) to get their bird ahead. We’ve seen videos, memes, scandals, even smear campaigns. But at the end of it all, it is their stories and passion for birds that could win hearts and […]
Forest & Bird’s annual Bird of the Year competition is off to a flying start and the kea is out in front with over 2,500 votes. Read how Kimberley Collins went searching for the world’s only alpine parrot in Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand. Photos by David Buckton. You need to be sneaky if you want to […]
James Muir, who recently travelled to Antarctica with Heritage Expeditions, explains why it’s vital to protect the Southern Ocean from further exploitation with photos by Gavin Klee. Indefinitely wild, mysterious, and full of fascinating creatures, the Antarctic – and, in particular, its oceans – are the last great mystery. In February, I explored this wondrous […]
Spectacular Milford Sound. It is hard to describe it without resorting to clichés. It is almost too beautiful, it really does take your breath away, and it is easy to feel a sense of insignificance in the shadow of the towering cliffs that protect the Sound. “I will remember this trip for the rest of […]