'Feathered chiefs': Two male kākāpō juveniles arrive at sanctuary

The kākāpō breeding frenzy made international headlines, but Waikato fans of the world’s chunkiest parrot followed the season with eagle eyes for reasons beyond curiosity.

They were eagerly awaiting news on whether the kākāpō population boost would impact the local squad at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.

Last week, it was confirmed: the sanctuary made history (again), for becoming the first North Island home for two male chicks that hatched in March.

The duo are yet to receive their permanent names and currently go by Tīwhiri-A4-2026 and Awarua-A2-2026.

Tīwhiri and Awarua are their mums’ names; the letter stands for the clutch, which is followed by what number egg they were, and the year they hatched.

Kākāpō will receive their permanent names around the time they turn a year old.

For Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari chief executive Helen Hughes, the kākāpō translocation was just one of many milestones that day.

“I’ve been calling it Superbowl Thursday ... ‘cause that’s how it felt.

“[We’ve had] our annual general meeting, 25-year [anniversary] celebration, translocation of giant wētā, translocation of kākāpō.

“A huge day, I think the entire team will have a quiet collapse... but [it was an] amazing ... effort.

“It’s been an amazing day.”

Kākāpō milestone

Hughes said the sanctuary was approached by the Kākāpō Recovery Team to receive the juveniles.

“The fact that they’re prepared to bring juveniles ... into the sanctuary just shows the confidence that the Kākāpō Recovery Team and Ngāi Tahu have in us,” she said.

“It just reinforces our significance, it reinforces that as the population of kākāpō have grown and offshore islands are now kind of a little bit crowded, that we can offer a safe haven for this species.

“It’s a big deal.”

Kākāpō ranger Daniella Whitaker, who spent a lot of time at the sanctuary in 2023 when the first cohort of kākāpō moved in, said it was exciting to be back.

“It’s incredible to have kākāpō on the mainland ... and it’s hopefully something we’ll be able to see a bit more of in the future.

“That’s a pretty special thing to be a part of.”

Kākāpō ranger Daniella Whitaker shows Awarua-A2-2026 to the crowd of Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari supporters. Photo / Lucy Schultz

Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group, Tāne Davis, said the fact that kākāpō juveniles were now living at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari was a sign of population growth.

“These journeys with kākāpō, particularly into the North Island, Te Ika a Māui, are a little exciting.

“Particularly after having the breeding season ... that we’ve experienced [this year] – 90 chicks.

“[We’re] at a point where we have to trial different things.”

Davis said having two juvenile kākāpō join the three adult males at the sanctuary was an extension of the trial started in 2023.

In the future, he believes there may be potential for a trial involving female kākāpō at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, and research into whether the sanctuary could sustain breeding.

Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group, Tāne Davis, with Awarua-A2-2026. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

“That’s another discussion to have down the track.”

Davis said he was especially proud of building a strong and close relationship with Ngāti Korokī Kahukura.

“That’s a source of mauri as well that ... we firmly believe assists in regenerating the [kākāpō] population.”

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari co-chairwoman and Ngāti Korokī Kahukura representative Norma Taute said she welcomed the translocation of the two “feathered chiefs”.

“[It’s a] very important day ... It has been a journey.”

She remembered a conversation with Dame Te Atairangikaahu, the first Māori Queen, years ago.

Two juvenile kākāpō join the three adult males at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Photo / Lucy Schultz

“[She asked] ‘What’s wrong with our maunga? ... I don’t hear it singing anymore’.”

Taute said it had taken a lot of effort to get the maunga to sing again.

“[Te Atairangikaahu] would be beaming with joy today.”

Taute also acknowledged how iwi have come together to achieve big milestones like this and how relationships, including with Ngāi Tahu, had been strengthened.

“It’s a huge milestone.

“It’s such a privilege to be able to open your door to something like that.”

Mahoenui giant wētā

A Mahoenui giant wētā, whose new home is Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Photo / Malisha Kumar

Meanwhile, a cohort of 122 Mahoenui giant wētā have also found a new home at the sanctuary.

The wētā arrived from Ōtorohanga Kiwi House in 12 containers and were released to settle into their new forest habitat.

The translocation was made possible through a successful captive breeding programme involving Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, the Department of Conservation (DoC), Ngāti Maniapoto and mana whenua.

Wētā specialist at the Kiwi House, Danielle Lloyd, was excited about the release, but also a bit sad.

She told the Waikato Herald she had been raising them for the past year.

A cohort of 122 Mahoenui giant wētā have also found a new home at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Photo / Malisha Kumar

“[I’m] definitely sad to see them go ... but it’s good to know that they’re out there and actually doing what they’re meant to be doing.”

While most wētā on translocation day were classified as nymphs, the only adult – and biggest wētā – released just happened to be Lloyd’s favourite.

The wētā was in its 10th instar, a developmental stage between moults as it shed its old exoskeleton and grew into adulthood.

Lloyd named her Bug Tsunade after an anime character.

“She’s my baby, I’ve had her since she hatched,” she said.

“So it’s sad to see her go, but I am happy that she’s getting to experience actually being out in the wild, like she should be.”

The sanctuary welcomed almost 200 wētā last year and also received some in 2012.

Bug Tsunade was the biggest and only adult wētā released at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. Photo / Malisha Kumar

Hughes said few people would have imagined wildlife like kākāpō and Mahoenui wētā on Maungatautari 25 years ago.

“Today, they are here because thousands of people chose to back an ambitious vision and never gave up on it.”

She said the organisation was grateful to mana whenua, iwi partners, recovery breeding programmes and DoC, who make these translocations possible.

“The arrival of these new kākāpō and Mahoenui giant wētā taonga is a reminder that this is not a finished story. It’s continuing to evolve, and we’re excited about what comes next.”

Ngāti Korokī Kahukura alongside Ngāti Hauā, Raukawa and Waikato, maintain deep connections with Maungatautari as a treasured tūpuna.

Taute said restoring an “entire” mountain ecosystem seemed impossible 25 years ago.

“Today, the maunga sings again because people chose to share the dream, and that is something we can all be proud of,” Taute said.

Groups of individual nymph wētā arrived at the sanctuary in these containers, while bigger ones came in nine individual containers. Photo / Malisha Kumar

Wētā breeding

The breeding programme uses specialised “wētā husbandry techniques”, including artificial incubation and climate-controlled environments.

Danielle Lloyd said wētā hatching is “seasonal”, and generally from December to mid-April.

Ōtorohanga Kiwi House, where the programme takes place, has 36 egg fields that are checked every morning.

“When they hatch, they come out of an egg that’s the size of a grain of rice,” Lloyd said.

“They’re very, very tiny. They’re normally really bright green, so we [can easily] find them in there.”

The wētā live in individual containers designed to mimic a forest-like habitat with wet moss.

“We pretty much just make sure they have the food they need ... we also give them fish flakes, which just gives them a little bit of extra protein.”

They also add faeces from older wētā in the containers, which helps kick-start digestive health in the younger ones.

Lloyd said Mahoenui giant wētā go through 10 instars during their development, with each shed taking about four to six weeks on average.

The wētā are monitored throughout their moult stages.

“We pretty much do that with them right up until they’re about 7 or 8 instars,” Lloyd said.

“Then we organise a release like what we did [at the sanctuary].”

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.

Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.