ONE SANCTUARY JUST COUNTED ALMOST 100 MORE OF NEW ZEALAND'S RAREST PARAKEETS.
285 counted in a single day, almost 100 more than last year.
ONE SANCTUARY JUST COUNTED ALMOST 100 MORE…
The annual survey at Brook Waimarama Sanctuary near Nelson counted more than 285 kakariki karaka — orange-fronted parakeets — on one day and 229 the next, almost 100 more than last year's count. The Department of Conservation called it a strong indicator of continued growth at the site, and reported it on September 17, 2026.
WHAT HAPPENED
Kakariki karaka are New Zealand's rarest mainland parakeet, with only around 450 thought to remain overall, almost all of them in predator-free sanctuaries and on offshore islands. Surveyors at Brook Waimarama counted over 285 birds in a single day and 229 the following day. A one-day count is a snapshot of one fenced sanctuary, not a precise national population estimate — but the jump of nearly 100 on last year is why DOC describes it as a strong sign the population there keeps growing.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
This is what predator fences and years of unglamorous trapping actually buy: a morning where the counters run out of fingers. The species is still rare and still dependent on protected ground. But the direction of travel in this one valley is up, loudly.
ORIGINAL SOURCENew Zealand Department of ConservationRead the original report