Hon Maggie Barry

Minister of Conservation
5 April 2016 Media Statement
Whio Forever partnership extended

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry has welcomed a renewed commitment to supporting New Zealand’s own white-water rafting duck, the whio, announced today.

The Department of Conservation and Genesis Energy have signed a five year extension to their Whio Forever partnership, begun in 2011.

“This is one of DOC’s most successful partnerships, and it’s made a significant difference to the species’ prospects,” Ms Barry says.

“It’s a credit to both DOC’s hard work and the commitment of Genesis, under its outgoing chief executive Albert Brantley, who believed in the partnership from the start.”

The $2 million partnership is focused on protecting the whio, which features on the $10 note and provides a unique conservation challenge due to its demanding habitat requirements.

“Whio live exclusively in fast-flowing mountain streams – they can’t be kept on offshore islands, have an unfortunate tendency to fight with other ducks, and were almost made extinct by introduced pests such as rats and stoats,” Ms Barry says.

Since 2011, DOC has more than doubled the number of breeding pairs of ducks protected at secure sites, from 299 to more than 600.

“The original target of the programme was to have 500 pairs by 2019, which just shows how successful it has been,” Ms Barry says.

Predator control networks now protect more than 1327 kilometres of river, up from 636km at the start of the partnership, thanks to more than 5000 additional traps.

“The captive breeding programme has also benefitted, with more than 220 birds released into the wild since 2011.

“Captive breeding provides a secure population base which can be used to both add to wild populations and reintroduce whio to places they were once extinct, such as Mt Taranaki.”

To get the captive-bred birds ready for life in the wild, Whio Forever has set up “fit-for-life camps” where ducklings can learn the skills they need to flourish on the rivers.

“In addition to the $2 million focus on whio the partnership also provides $500,000 towards Taupo for Tomorrow, an education programme to teach children about our freshwater environment and the species which call it home,” Ms Barry says.

“DOC is always looking to build partnerships with business, community groups and philanthropists. They deliver important gains for conservation across the country by expanding the range of DOC’s work and its ability to reach more New Zealanders.”

To find out more about Whio Forever, visit www.whioforever.co.nz

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