- Conservation status
- In serious trouble
“Weka with a walking stick” (Ngāi Tahu). These kiwis have found their home in the steep terrain and frequently cold, bad weather of the Haast Ranges, Fiordland, and Stewart Island. Not everyone can live easily in these inhospitable environments, so no wonder tokoeka have a walking stick.
Campaign Manager
Katelyn Dobbie
A big kiwi with an even bigger personality, Haast tokoeka are the world's rarest and most reclusive kiwi. There are only about 500 individuals. They live in the mountains and swamps of a remote corner of Te Tai Poutini West Coast. Most of their known population lives in the Haast Kiwi Sanctuary between the Waiatoto and mighty Arawhata rivers.
Their reclusive nature, the rugged and inhospitable terrain of their homes, and the cold wet weather of South Westland, mean that few lucky people have seen the Haast tokoeka. This also makes conservation a particularly difficult challenge.
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