Mohua make their comeback in the Matukituki Valley

A new chapter has begun for the West Matukituki Valley, with the joyful return of mohua (yellowhead) to the forests of Mt Aspiring National Park. 

Once common throughout Aotearoa’s South Island, these bright, lively songbirds are now one of our rarest native forest birds – but thanks to years of collective effort, they’ve found a new home in the Southern Lakes. 

A return years in the making

On Tuesday 14 October, a team of experts carefully captured 50 mohua on Pukenui (Anchor Island) in Fiordland and translocated them to a release site up-valley from Aspiring Hut. With the breeding season approaching, the timing gives the birds a chance to settle into their new home and establish territories. 

The return of the mohua is the result of a major conservation collaboration between the Matukituki Charitable Trust, Ngāi Tahu, the Department of Conservation’s Mohua Recovery Group, the Mohua Charitable Trust and Southern Lakes Sanctuary.

Credit: Geoff Marks

Restoring balance to a special place

For more than a decade, the Matukituki Charitable Trust has been working tirelessly to control predators across the West Matukituki Valley – an area that attracts over 100,000 visitors a year and is renowned for its spectacular alpine landscapes, including the Rob Roy Glacier. 

This long-term predator management, supported by the Department of Conservation and Southern Lakes Sanctuary, has created the conditions needed for native wildlife to thrive again. 

“When the Trust began predator control here more than a decade ago, our hope was always that one day we could bring back species like mohua” say Matukituki Charitable Trust founding trustees Derek and Gillian Crombie. “To now see that happening is hugely rewarding for everyone who has supported the project and a positive step for biodiversity in the valley.” 

A growing chorus of native species

Predator control in the Matukituki has already brought benefits to a range of native species including toutouwai (South Island robin), kākāriki, tītitipounamu (rifleman), South Island kākā, kea, pīwauwau (rock wren), and braided river birds such as tarapirohe (black-fronted tern) and pohowera (banded dotterel). Bats, lizards and native mistletoe are also benefitting from this mahi. 

With mohua now back in the valley, this special place is closer to supporting a rich, resilient web of native wildlife – a milestone years in the making. 

Paul Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Southern Lakes Sanctuary, reflects on the achievement: “Bringing mohua back to the Matukituki is a really special moment. It shows what’s possible when conservation organisations, mana whenua, funding partners and government agencies work together. The years of predator control and planning are paying off, and seeing these birds back in the valley is a milestone for everyone involved.” 

Credit: Geoff Marks

The story of mohua

Bright, musical, and once common throughout New Zealand, the mohua is a striking forest songbird now mostly confined to small, scattered populations in the South Island and on Rakiura Stewart Island, with fewer than 5,000 birds remaining. 

Quick facts: 

• Mohua live in tight-knit flocks and communicate with a variety of high-pitched chirps and trills 

• They nest in tree cavities, making them especially vulnerable to predators like rats and stoats 

• Once abundant, their range has shrunk dramatically, largely due to predation by rats and stoats – but conservation is helping populations recover in protected areas 

• Featured on New Zealand’s old $100 note, a symbol of their cultural and ecological importance 

• For a threatened species, mohua have a relatively high reproductive rate, giving them strong potential to recover when predators are controlled 

The return of these songbirds to the Matukituki Valley adds strength to national recovery efforts – and brings life, sound, and colour back to one of our most beautiful alpine valleys. 

Credit: Geoff Marks

Kā mihi nui to our funding partners

The Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation, Lotteries Environment and Heritage, Pacific Development and Conservation Trust, Stout Trust (proudly managed by Perpetual Guardian), Otago Regional Council’s Ecofund, New Zealand Nature Fund and Roki – whose generous support helped make this milestone possible. We’re also grateful for in-kind support from Over The Top, who provided the heli-transfer to and from Pukenui Anchor Island. 

Credit: Geoff Marks