2020 Grand Design for Tara Iti Bird

What does grand design for the tara iti bird (maori name for NZ Fairy Tern), the country's most critically threatened bird mean?  It means working together and pooling resources to transport 50 tonnes of shell material and create new safer home sites!

IIn collaboration with the DOC Fairy Tern Recovery Group, Tara Iti Golf Club, NZ Defence Force, local iwi Ngati Whatua o Kaipara, Te Uri o Hau and Ngati Manuhiri, the Shorebirds Trust funded and supported the transport of 50 tonnes of shell material to the Mangawhai Wildlife Refuge, the primary breeding site for the tara iti bird. The chosen shell locations in the rear of the dunes weren’t just random, but strategically determined based upon 12 years of science data.

According to Ayla Wiles, DOC biodiversity ranger. “In the past we’ve had nests impacted by high winds, which means the parent birds can’t find their eggs, and king tides washing the nests away.  The new sites provide more protection for the chicks and their parents.”

Last year, the Shorebirds Trust also funded the initial phase of DOC’s Shell Enhancement project at Waipu, transporting over 130 tonne of shell material.  “We created new shell nests for the birds last year and had success with one pair laying an egg.  When you are talking small numbers of birds, one success, like using a safer nest to breed, is a huge step forward.  Other than predator control, habitat enhancement is the most important action that can be taken to ensure the tara iti survival, “ says Ayla Wiles, DOC biodiversity ranger. 

 “Support for our most endangered bird by community groups and local hapu and iwi is essential for their survival. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Shorebirds Trust and those who partnered with them to get these new shell nests created, and the ongoing work of the recovery group.”

The Shorebirds Trust would like to extend a special thanks to Matt, Rob, Alex, Zoey, Brian and the Tara Iti Club for their support of the project.