Forest & Bird

Jewels in the city A flash of iridescent blue brightens up Ann Graeme’s day as she observes kōtare sacred kingfishers in her garden.

In the latest edition of Forest & Bird magazine, Ann Graeme shared her experience watching kōtare raise their chicks in her Tauranga garden. Read more here:

Using bird-scaring stickers, keeping cats indoors, or fitting cats with collars can help minimise fatalities. These are small actions that make our cities safer for our bird neighbours 🏡

Māori have long admired the patience and vigilance of sacred kingfishers on watch – so much that elevated sentry platforms in pā are named kōtare. 

Kōtare are adapting to urban living, but built environments still bring risks. Domestic cats and window collisions threaten these beautiful manu.

These patient hunters perch on power lines and tree branches, scanning the ground below for kai. Their prey is varied: everything from skinks and beetles to earthworms, wasps, cicadas, and even crabs when they visit estuaries in winter!

These brilliant manu are part of a global family. About 120 kingfisher species live across more than 100 countries worldwide 🌏 

In Aotearoa, kōtare are hardy and adaptable. They nest in well-designed holes they dig in clay banks, rotting tree trunks, even phoenix palms.

Spotting the iridescent blue-green shimmer of a kōtare sacred kingfisher is an unexpected urban moment – perhaps on a power line or in your backyard! ✨ Kōtare are adapting to urban landscapes in Aotearoa, and there are ways we can help them thrive further. 

📸: Maurice Summerfield, Dan Dirks

Forest & Bird is backing the avatar moth – a tiny, beautiful, day-flying moth that lives only on the Denniston Plateau. It was discovered in 2012 and named after the film because its home – like Pandora – is under threat from a mining company.

Not sure what bug to vote for in Bug of the Year? Use our handy guide 🙂‍↕️ 
Vote here: https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/

Happy New Year, ngā mihi o te tau hou!  

2026 will be a big year. We’re excited to use every opportunity we can to amplify nature’s voice. Aroha nui to you and your loved ones as we welcome in a new year 🥳 

📸: Original photo, William Harland

Government unveils major overhaul of New Zealand’s planning system

Read more about the reforms here:

RMA replacement risks weakening protections for nature Forest & Bird warns the Government's RMA replacement could weaken environmental safeguards, putting native species and landscapes at risk.

While we digest more, we’ll keep you in the loop, but rest assured we will be advocating for our wildlife every step of the way. For more information, read our media release:

This is the biggest change to environmental protection in generations: it deserves a robust process. Given the rushed and flawed approach with fast-track legislation, it is crucial that everyday Kiwi can have their say to shape these crucial protections.

✅ The biggest opportunity in the legislation is the inclusion of environmental limits. We want to see limits that are strong and science-based to protect communities and wildlife.

⚖️ There is also risk that councils will weaken biodiversity, freshwater, and coastal protections to avoid compensation and litigation for protecting nature.

🏞️ The biggest concern is the weakening of protections for nature on private property. Everything from deforestation to water pollution can happen within private land. Excluding these effects is a recipe for environmental decline.

The new system announced yesterday is a huge piece of law: about 750 pages. We've started digesting the proposals and what they mean for nature. We have some initial concerns and recommendations.

It is crucial that our environmental laws help people and nature thrive. By having a system that is simpler and more effective, we can improve people's lives while caring for our wildlife.

🌳🪶 The Government has announced their proposal to replace the RMA. Here's our first take 🌳🪶

🦅✨ Speed-swoop into style and snag a pair of kārearea earrings by Remix Plastic – designed to celebrate the fierce and fabulous 2025 Bird of the Year. $2 from every pair goes directly to support vital conservation mahi, so you’re not just looking good, you’re doing good too🎉https://remixplastic.com/

And now... 🏅A few words from our winner🏅

#BOTY2025 #BirdoftheYear2025 #BirdoftheYear #NZBirdoftheYear

@thomassainsbury

Confused by all the talk of vote validation? 🗳️We can't let spam-bots decide who gets the crown! 🤖 So we can only count verified votes. Once you've submitted your picks, you're just a click away from verification. ✅

#BOTY2025 #BirdoftheYear2025 #BirdoftheYear #NZBirdoftheYear

Need some help choosing which birds to vote for in the 20th Bird of the Year? Download our handy flowchart. Voting opens Monday!
👉https://f.mtr.cool/euvawqrgje

#BOTY2025 #BirdoftheYear2025 #BirdoftheYear

🧱🐦 Missed out on a bird brick kit? Here’s your second chance!

49 sets of each bird (pīwakawaka, kākāpō, tūī and pekapeka) will be available at the Wellington Brick Show along with a chance to meet their creator @bricks.by.mike_

📅 13 September
📍 Walter Nash Centre, Lower Hutt

#BOTY2025

Wear your Bird of the Year vote as eco-friendly jewellery. ✨ 
Turning waste into treasure, Remix Plastic is donating $2 from select pairs of their stunning bird earrings, studs, and pins – including pūteketeke and hoiho – to support our conservation mahi. 

👉 https://remixplastic.com

#BOTY2025

Critter of the Week fans – new merch has landed! $5 from every purchase goes to supporting conservation heroes.
👉 https://joyya.com/en-nz/collections/critter-of-the-week

🌿🌿🌿 Three easy ways to start conservation for Te Wiki Tiaki Ao Tūroa, Conservation Week, 1 to 7 September 2025.
1. Pick up rubbish
2. Support pest control
3. Vote nature

🐦Let’s make conservation part of everyday life. We’d love to hear your ideas for making it more accessible 💚

🦜 Celebrate 20 years of Bird of the Year and take home your own piece of history with our limited-edition brick-built model, developed by @bricks.by.mike_ ! Only 200 are available, so get in fast before they waddle away!! 

https://f.mtr.cool/delugiizam

🔥 These past Bird of the Year winners are looking for a match! From viral heartthrobs to underdog glow-ups, these plucky singles know how to ruffle feathers and steal hearts 🐦💔 

👉 Keen to campaign? They’re waiting for you. 
https://f.mtr.cool/xsglwvyqlx

Some birds have flocks of fans ... these guys are still looking for “the One”. 

Swipe right on these cuties before someone else snaps them up 💘 

Become a campaign manager: https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/apply-be-bird-year-2025-campaign-manager

YouTube video by Heal The Hauraki Heal the Hauraki - Episode 2 - "TANGATA (PEOPLE)", with Bianca Ranson & Mandy Kupenga

Heal the Hauraki - Episode 2: “Tangata” IS OUT NOW 💙
🌊 Around the Hauraki Gulf our ocean communities are struggling – habitat loss means biodiversity is out of balance & ecosystems are failing. But a groundswell is rising – of courage, care, and collective hope🩵
👇 Watch now youtu.be/t9eppCixWfs?...