For the first time in nearly 40 years, kākāpō have returned to live on mainland Aotearoa, marking a huge milestone and a new phase for the recovery of the critically endangered species.
Four male parrots were transported from Whenua Hou/Codfish Island near Stewart Island to the fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in Waikato.
Leaves crunching under the feet of a national treasure as a kākāpō takes its first steps on mainland Aotearoa in four decades.
The Department of Conservation's (DoC) operation manager for kākāpō Deidre Vercoe told Newshub it "is a significant turning point for kākāpō".
The precious cargo are from Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, one of three predator-free offshore islands where the species have come back from the brink of extinction through the kākāpō recovery programme, with numbers now at 248.
"One of the problems we have now is that we've actually run out of space for kākāpō on the southern predator-free islands, so this is a trial for new habitat," said Vercoe.
That habitat is the 3400-hectare fenced Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in Waikato, where it's hoped the critically endangered parrot can thrive.
"We've adapted the fence here to make it kākāpō-proof and in the trials we've done, it's worked well but I would never underestimate the intelligence of a parrot so time will tell," Vercoe said.
It will take time, up to 10 years before the DoC is confident the site is suitable for a breeding population.
Mayor of Waipa Susan O'Regan said it's "hugely significant".
"This is a nationally significant, if not internationally significant, project here at Sanctuary Mountain."
Four male kākāpō have been relocated through a partnership with Ngāi Tahu, with their care transferred to local iwi.
"Our job is to care and protect for our mutual mokopuna because we see this not only as a coming together of these beautiful taonga to Maungatautari but it's a joining of people as well," Ngāti Koroki Kahukura Trust co-chair Raahui Papa told Newshub.
The significance of Wednesday had special meaning to Pat Quin. He took part in expeditions to find surviving kākāpō in Fiordland in 1974 after pests almost wiped out the population.
"They hadn't been seen for over 10 years and I found some feathers. After that they started to find a few more, males only unfortunately, in Fiordland and that was the start of the whole programme."
Wednesday's release was a full-circle moment for him.
"I never thought I'd live long enough to see this occasion," Quin said.
It's hoped six more kākāpō will soon join their relatives on the mainland, who are now off exploring their new home.
