Source: Radio New Zealand
Kākāpō chicks Tīwhiri-A3 & Tīwhiri-A4 in the nest with their mother, March 2026. Maddy Whittaker / DOC
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Kākāpō are one of the rarest birds in New Zealand, with an adult population of just 235 individuals.
Auckland Zoo vet Adam Naylor on Whenua Hou Department of Conservation
Imagine then, the pressure on Auckland Zoo vet Adam Naylor when he arrived at a nest to discover a young chick, named Huhu-A3-2026, looking floppy and an unhealthy purple colour.
“My vet training kicked in, and I started doing some very tiny CPR,” Adam told the Kākāpō Files podcast.
“I just blew gently into its mouth, to try and get some air into it and get it breathing again. And after a minute or so it suddenly took a breath.
“It was a scary moment for all of us, including the DOC [Department of Conservation] ranger,” said Adam, “[but] by the next day, I’m happy to report, it had bounced back remarkably well.”
It was not the only time on his trip to Whenua Hou / Codfish Island that Adam’s ER skills were called into action. He was also able to save the life of a 12-day old chick, Rakiura-A2-2026, which was found in the nest with a significant wound.
“It was actually a pretty deep and fresh laceration at the base of the neck, right across the jugular vein,” said Adam.
After cleaning the wound, Adam closed it with stitches, which he described as “pretty tiny sutures”.
He reports that by the end of the day the “chick was as happy as anything and begging for food, so I walked up and popped it back on the nest again”.
Chick Rakiura A2 Department of Conservation
Chick Rakiura-A2-2026 is a bit of a celebrity, having been the first egg that watching members of the public saw laid live on the Kākāpō Cam live feed, on the 25th January. Chicks are named after their mum, their clutch and egg number, and year of birth. Rakiura-A2-2026 is being raised by various foster mothers, while its mother Rakiura fosters another chick, Nora-A2-2026, as interested YouTubers watch on.
Adam was assisting with kākāpō management on Whenua Hou, which lies just off Rakiura / Stewart Island, and is one of the three predator-free kākāpō breeding islands – the other two are in Fiordland.
With 78 females nesting across those islands, a huge milestone was reached earlier this week when the 100th chick of the 2026 breeding season hatched. This cements its status as the biggest ever kākāpō breeding season on record.
Plus, a handful of remaining fertile eggs are expected to hatch over the next few days, meaning it will well surpass the previous 2019 record of 85 chicks hatched.
Kohengi on her nest. Andrew Digby / DOC
Unfortunately though, not all these chicks will make it.
Kākāpō Recovery Programme ranger Sarah Manktelow told the Kākāpō Files podcast that seven chicks have died so far. “We have to expect to lose some chicks,” she said.
Four chicks have also been transported to Dunedin Wildlife Hospital where they are currently receiving treatment.
Chick Tia-A3 Department of Conservation
Those who manage kākāpō are hoping these record-breaking numbers will ultimately help boost the total population. However, because there are many potential pitfalls for the newly hatched chicks, they don’t get counted as adults until they reach 150 days of age, and are independent. For the first chicks hatched this year, that’s around mid-July.
To get regular updates about this record-breaking breeding season, follow and listen to the Kākāpō Files podcast.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
