Tara iti recovery programme

 

DOC works closely with The Shorebirds Trust, The New Zealand Fairy Tern Charitable Trust, About Tern, Birds New Zealand, Waipu Trapping Group, NZ Defense Force, Tara Iti Golf Club, Ngati Whatua o Kaipara, Te Uri O Hau, Ngati Manuhuri and Patuharakeke to help protect tara iti.

Tara iti nest on beaches during summer between October and February. They create a nest by scraping a small hollow in the sand. This means their eggs and chicks are very vulnerable. DOC and volunteers fence off the four nesting areas and erect signs asking the public not to enter the sites.

DOC also employs seven summer rangers during the breeding season. At least one ranger is assigned to each breeding site to monitor and protect tara iti nests during the nesting season. They also control predators at each site and talk to the public about protecting these rare birds. This work is supported by dedicated local volunteers.

Eggs are transferred between nests to maximise the productivity of the breeding pairs of adult tara iti, with Auckland Zoo providing facilities to incubate the eggs.

Since the recovery programme began, the number of tara iti has risen from a low of just three recorded breeding pairs in 1984, to nine breeding pairs producing seven chicks in the last season.