Rees Valley turns love nest as threatened takahē thrive

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Takahē are breeding in the Rees Valley after the release of 86 birds since February 2025.

Photo: Southern Lakes Sanctuary / supplied

Otago's Rees Valley has officially become the site of New Zealand's largest wild takahē population outside their original Fiordland habitat, in what conservationists describe as a pivotal moment for the endangered species.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary said the population was successfully breeding in the wild after the release of 86 birds since February 2025.

Chief executive Paul Kavanagh said years of predator control and trapping work in the valley near Glenorchy had create the conditions needed for the birds to re-establish.

"We're absolutely rapt. Things are looking really positive there, which is great, and we're really proud of what we've achieved," he said.

"Getting the birds returning to an area is one thing but keeping them safe when they are there is the next step."

Takahē are thriving in the Rees Valley, near Glenorchy.

Photo: Southern Lakes Sanctuary / supplied

Kavanagh said the sanctuary was working with the Department of Conservation's (DOC) takahē recovery programme, mana whenua, landowners, community groups, volunteers and funding partners to restore the ecosystem and support the birds.

"The first release day we had probably about 150 people up there to witness it, which was amazing. Just seeing the excitement, the energy in the community, it was just amazing to be part of. We're really honoured to be involved and since then the releases have been more low-key, sometimes at short notice, and generally DOC do most of the hard work," he said.

DOC takahē recovery project lead Jason van de Wetering said establishing new wild populations was critical to securing the future of the bird.

While there were an estimated 300 takahē in the wild nationwide, the birds were twice thought to be extinct and for decades survived only in the Murchison Mountains, he said.

"Expanding the species into new landscapes like the Upper Whakatipu is essential to building resilience for the future. The Rees Valley is proving to be exceptional habitat," he said.

Otago's Rees Valley is becoming home to New Zealand's largest wild takahē population outside their original Fiordland habitat.

Photo: Southern Lakes Sanctuary / supplied

Kavanagh said the success of the takahē in the Rees Valley showed there were likely low predator numbers but conservationists needed to be constantly vigilant.

"We do a lot of monitoring of predators and we do monitoring of the takahē. We want to keep an eye on how they're dispersing because we have had some moving closer to Glenorchy and we've had some that have had to be relocated as well," he said.

"We're hoping it goes from strength to strength from here and we have a flourishing takahē population in the future."

Whio recently returned to parts of the valley for the first time in about 50 years, while weka were being seen in areas where they were previously absent, he said.

Last month DOC announced that it had released eight takahē on the Farewell Spit at the top of the South Island, following the construction of a $400,000 predator-proof fence.

Takahē had been absent from the area for 100 years, DOC said.

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