When Māui slowed the sun, the new expanse of daylight offered us safety to work, learn, and spend time together. Upon releasing the singed ropes that had tamed our mighty star, Māui found his hands burning and called to Tīeke for water.
The manu, perching low in the trees, ignored the request, until Māui reached out and grasped Tīeke. Now, across its back, Māui’s glowing handprint is immortalised in vibrant orange plumage. This pūrākau not only speaks to many centuries of the tīeke’s whakapapa, but also the native wattlebird’s (sometimes cheeky) relationship with us, and the forests we used to share.
Until recently, opportunities to share habitat with tīeke on the mainland have been extremely limited. Since the late 1800s, South Island tīeke numbers have plummeted. Under new pressures of predation and habitat loss, the species completely vanished from Te Waipounamu.
Their last refuge was Taukihepa, one of the Tītī islands which border the coast of Rakiura. In 1964, their numbers having reduced to just 36 individuals, inter-island transfers began, led by whānau of the Rakiura Tītī Islands Administering Body (RTIAB).
Through extensive predator control, regular monitoring and translocation, the muttonbirding families of Rakiura and Tītī islands have recovered South Island tīeke to more than 2000 birds, distributed across more than 20 offshore islands.
Last month, this long-developed understanding of South Island tīeke and their translocations culminated in a landmark return of the species to the mainland.
From one rūnaka to another, Rakiura Tītī Islands Administering Body and Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki have worked in partnership to return 100 tīeke from Putauhinu and Kani/Kundy Island to Otago’s east coast, under the protection of Te Korowai o Mihiwaka, Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
While it’s tempting to use a whole Wild Ways column to recount the release itself - energetic flurries of orange and red, the first squeaky ‘‘tīeke’’ calls filling the forest - Orokonui is looking towards a bigger picture, one demanding the utmost focus.
Like Māui slowing the sun, reaching the point of releasing tīeke was an incredible feat. Now we see the long days stretching ahead, as we work to secure the place of the tīeke in the sanctuary.
These days are full of potential, but also endless unknowns, all requiring increased operational measures. Seasonal changes, predator numbers outside the fenceline, incursion risks, there are many threats to a freshly transferred (commonly ground-dwelling) manu like the tīeke.
This seems daunting, but it’s worth remembering that several taoka now thriving in and around Orokonui were also once fresh translocations.
South Island kākā in 2008, moko kākāriki/Otago jewelled geckos in 2009, kakaruai/South Island robins and Haast tokoeka in 2010, tuatara and takahē in 2012, Otago skinks in 2014, and Otago green skinks in 2016.
Visitors over recent months can relate to the experience of meeting kakaruai patrolling public tracks, or hearing a guide’s kōrero drowned out by screeching crowds of kākā. The memorable walks we share with these taoka are evidence of huge investments in time, resources and care.
What can we do to care for the tīeke in the coming months? In the early stages of a translocation, monitoring continues to be vital. More than 60km of monitoring tracks are walked weekly to observe and record the settlement of tīeke throughout 307 hectares of habitat.
Visitor observations, and photos documenting band combinations of individual birds are equally valuable to understanding how the tīeke are making their home here.
Between developing the translocation plan, providing boosts of supplementary tīeke-friendly food, increasing fence perimeter checks, carrying out biosecurity audits with conservation dogs, monitoring, and the actual collection and transfer of birds with RTIAB whānau, five years have already been dedicated to this translocation, with many more to come.
Of course, tīeke aren’t the only species being cared for within Orokonui - every bit of tīeke mahi runs concurrently with our regular conservation work, taking place year round in the sanctuary.
How can we work together to help tīeke succeed on Te Waipounamu? You can support by visiting the sanctuary, volunteering your time and skills to our conservation efforts, and by becoming a member or donating to Orokonui.
Right now, we can also enjoy these rare early stages of a translocation - walking the forest and knowing that a taoka is here once more, sharing in the same beautiful Ōtepoti day.
• Madison Kelly is head kaiārahi/guide at Te Korowai o Mihiwaka Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
