The Department of Conservation said in a release yesterday it had worked with Ngāi Tahu and the Coal Island Trust to move four male kākāpō to the Fiordland site in a bid to investigate whether the 1163ha island could one day support a larger breeding population.
Doc kākāpō operations manager Deidre Vercoe said the move was the next step towards solving the kākāpō habitat shortage.
"With a breeding season predicted for 2026, we are looking at new sites to relieve population pressure on the islands that kākāpō currently live on."
Coal Island, with its similar habitat and proximity to existing breeding islands, could be the next key site, she said.
"The Coal Island Trust has done incredible work over the last couple of decades removing predators to turn the island into a haven for many native species."
Coal Island Trust chairwoman Ali King said the kākāpō transfer was one of the highlights of the trust’s 20-year focus on reintroducing native birds to the island.
"So many trustees and volunteers have worked tirelessly for the past 20 years to help make this day possible — this is a huge milestone in our history and will also have deep significance for our iwi partners. We’re proud to have fostered such a strong partnership with Doc, local iwi and other Fiordland entities.
"We have already seen Haast tokoeka/kiwi reintroduced in 2009, followed by yellowhead/mohua and New Zealand robin/toutouwai in 2015 and now these young male kākāpō will call Te Puka-Hereka their home — I couldn’t be happier."
As with any new site, there were some unknowns with the translocation.
"As long as there are predators such as stoats on the mainland, there will be a risk of reinvasion to any new island site. Coal Island’s extensive trapping network keeps most predators at bay, but stoats do arrive occasionally and there are currently estimated to be one or two individuals present."
Enhancing stoat monitoring and trialling new control techniques was a focus for the island, which had great potential as a future breeding island for kākāpō, but females would not be introduced at this stage.
"Ultimately, more predator-free sites are needed to give kākāpō the best chance to thrive. The males involved with this transfer are fully grown, weighing between 2-4kg, which we believe to be at low risk of stoat predation."
Ms Vercoe said the new site trial provided the chance to understand more about the island and the risk of low stoat density to kākāpō.
The move was part of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme’s future sites plan. As part of this plan, a separate trial investigating whether kākāpō could thrive in a fenced sanctuary was now under way at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.
