The Taiko Trust wishes to thank the New Zealand Lotteries Board and the Biodiversity Condition Fund for providing the funding for a secure breeding ground for the endangered Chatham Island Taiko .........

The next important step in the recovery of the Chatham Island taiko is the development of the predator free site where taiko can breed in a concentrated colony.  A secure densely populated colony is the best chance of saving one of the worlds rarest seabirds from extinction.
 

Currently known burrows of breeding taiko are located within the remoter areas of the Tuku Nature Reserve - the headwaters of the Tuku Catchment.  The burrows are scattered and are the very last remnants of a once large colony of breeding taiko.
  

The Tuku Valley The last known Taiko breeding grounds are located at the headwaters of the Tuku Valley.  This valley was where David Crockett and his team rediscovered the Taiko in 1978.  Today there are only 14 known breeding pair of Taiko in this valley.

Continual trapping, poisoning and shooting of feral cats, possum, feral pigs, rodents and the South Island weka is needed to keep the last few breeding taiko safe.  This requires considerable resources, and operates over a large area, but it does not guarantee 100 percent security of taiko from predation.

Taiko are social breeders like most seabirds, but very low numbers and widely scattered burrows limit their recovery with few opportunities for social interactions.

Sweetwater Covenant adjoining the Tuku Nature Reserve and owned by Bruce and Liz Tuanui provides an ideal site to create a secure breeding ground for taiko.  Sweetwater once had a large breeding colony of taiko, and old burrows have been found there.  It has suitable taiko breeding habitat, with forest cover, banks for burrows and trees for taiko to leave the ground. 
 

Sweetwater Covenant Sweetwater covenant is an area where old taiko burrows existed up until the 1950's, it is also directly beneath a known Taiko flight path.  It is within this area that the secure breeding ground will be located.

Secure Breeding Ground for the Chatham Island Taiko  Official Opening 11 March 2006 A New Zealand Lotteries Board grant of $156,000 and a Biodiversity Condition Fund grant of $80,000 has enable the construction of a predator proof fence to provide a safe breeding area for the Taiko. Work on the construction of the fence has now been completed. Members of the Chatham Taiko Trust and Minister of Conservation, Chris Carter, stand beside the newly completed fence. The project has been organised and funds raised through the efforts of the Chatham Island Taiko Trust.       Click for more information on this project. The Taiko Trust can now proceed with next important step in the recovery of the Chatham Island Taiko. The development of the predator-free site where taiko can breed in a concentrated colony. A secure densely-populated colony is the best chance of saving one of the world’s rarest seabirds from extinction.

The predator free enclosure has been modeled on the successful Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.
 

Now the predator-proof enclosure has been created the Taiko Trust will work to build artificial burrows and attract taiko to the site.  The Department of Conservation has developed successful techniques to transfer and hand rear petrel chicks, and sound attraction systems for petrels are also being trailed. A catalogue of taiko calls has been recorded. 

To monitor taiko activity in the Sweetwater secure breeding ground, we will video burrow entrances and nesting chambers in the burrows, and identify individual birds with bands and transponders.  In the future we hope to set up a remote video system so that the public can view taiko on the colony and in their burrows from Waitangi (Chatham Islands) or on the Taiko Trust website.
 

Reserve Fence A fence was constructed on the western side of the Tuku Nature Reserve in 1984.  The dramatic recovery of the forest in the 18 years since the exclusion of the stock is astounding.

For further information on this project contact secretary@taiko.org.nz