A small native fish has been moved to an urban ecosanctuary in Wellington to help with conservation efforts to restore numbers.
The toitoi (common bully) is in decline across the country and plays an important role in freshwater ecosystems.
It's small in stature, but big in importance.
"It's really significant in that it is a key part of our freshwater ecosystem work here and the impacts that we can have in the headwaters of Kaiwharawhata catchment that we sit in is going to trickle down from sanctuary to sea which is pretty cool," said Jo Ledington, conservation general manager at Zealandia.
The toitoi have been finding a new home at the ecosanctuary in Te Whanganui a Tara/Wellington.
"[They were common], they were once everywhere. They're suffering the impacts of degradation to our freshwater systems," Ledington said.
The toitoi were collected last month from Kōhangapiripiri Lake, on the eastern side of Wellington Harbour.
Project manager Kari Beaven told Newshub they've spent the past three weeks in quarantine, and acclimatising.
"When they're released into the lake itself they're already at the same temperature as what's in the water," she said.
Forty toitoi were released at Zealandia on Friday, with a further 120 to be released over the next two weeks, and it's hoped their population will flourish and they'll help stabilise the ecosystem.
They are crucial in the life cycle of kākahi (freshwater mussel) because when its larvae are sneezed out, they hitch a ride on toitoi.
"The toitoi pick them up and actually house them on their gills for a period of time and then they metamorphosize in a mini kākahi," Ledington told Newshub.
This the first time toitoi have been translocated, and also the first time a freshwater fish has been moved for restoration reasons.
"This is a really special project [for] a long-lasting healthy population," said Beaven.
So that they'll be swimming in our waters for many generations to come.
