Click photo to enlarge
Buff weka are released on Stevenson's Peninsula, near
Wanaka, last week. Photo by DOC.
A new mainland buff weka population has been established
at Lake Wanaka, with last week's release of 15 birds by Ngai
Tahu and the Department of Conservation on Stevenson's
Peninsula, near Wanaka.
Populations of the feisty, flightless birds have already been
established on islands in lakes Wanaka and Wakatipu.
Ngai Tahu spokesman Rewi Anglem said the release was the
culmination of eight years of conservation work, following
the establishment of a breeding programme on Te Peka Karara
(Stevenson's Island) in Lake Wanaka.
Four Otago Ngai Tahu papatipu runanga have been involved in
the joint iwi-Doc project to breed enough birds for a
mainland release.
Mr Anglem said the challenge had been to find a suitable
mainland site that was big enough yet had low predator
numbers.
Pastoral lessee Tim Burdon had supported the project by
allowing the release on Stevenson's Peninsula, which has a
semi-predator-proof fence across its narrow neck.
The peninsula is big enough to allow the weka to breed
unhindered by space restrictions, and ongoing predator
control will help keep pest numbers low, Mr Anglem said.
The buff weka returned to the mainland yesterday are the
descendants of the last 12 buff weka taken to the Chatham
Islands in 1905.
Buff weka were once abundant in the drier inland regions of
the eastern South Island but by the early 1900s had been
driven to the brink of extinction by rabbit poisoning,
introduced predators and loss of habitat.
Mr Anglem said the ultimate aim was to establish a successful
population that could be transferred to many more habitats in
the east coast of the South Island, providing an opportunity
for Ngai Tahu to restore a taoka tuku iho (treasured asset of
the past).
Funding was provided by Ngai Tahu and Doc.
The Otago University Zoology Department has recently become
involved in the project.
Six of the 15 birds have transmitters attached for ongoing
monitoring.
The project was at a critical stage and a key concern for the
project team was that peninsula visitors did not light fires
on, or take dogs to, the peninsula, Mr Anglem said.
"I know the locals will be careful and I hope we can get this
information to potential visitors to ensure that the
no-fires, no-dogs rules are strictly adhered to," Mr Anglem
said.
