Vote Takahē: A Manifesto from Southern Lakes Sanctuary

Citizens of Aotearoa, feathered friends, lovers of tussock – lend us your ears. 

Southern Lakes Sanctuary is proud to announce our official endorsement of the takahē for Bird of the Year 2025. 

Why? Because this bird isn’t just a bird. It’s a movement. It’s a symbol. It’s the heavyweight champion of comeback stories. 

The campaign promises of Make Takahē Great Again

📣 We will build more tussock. Because a salad bar in every valley is a right, not a privilege. 

📣 We will defeat stoats, feral cats, and other shady characters. Predators have no place in our future. Full stop. 

📣 We will strut proudly down the alpine runways. Flightless? Yes. Fabulous? Absolutely. 

📣 We will bring Big Bird Energy to the future of conservation. From golf courses to gardens, boardrooms to backcountry huts. 

Five reasons to back the takahē

1. The Comeback King – Declared extinct in 1850. And again in 1898. Rediscovered in 1948. Released in the Rees Valley in 2025. Four acts, one legend. 
2. Big Bird Energy – At around 3kg, takahē bring more muscle to the ballot than any parrot could dream of. 
3. Limited Edition Candidate – Only ~500 takahē exist in the wild. Forget career politicians – this is your once-in-a-lifetime vote. 
4. Straight Outta Fiordland, Now Repping the Rees – Local bird, global ambitions. 
5. Community Candidate – It takes a village and a whole lot of grit to protect and restore a species. A vote for takahē is a vote for what communities can achieve together. 

The big picture

Jokes aside, this campaign is about more than memes and mock rallies. The takahē story is living proof that conservation works. That extinction doesn’t have to be. That when we fight for wild places, we can win. 

So, when it’s time to cast your vote in Bird of the Year 2025, make it count. 

Vote for the comeback. 

Vote for the community. 

Vote takahē. 

Because flightless but fearless – this bird is going places.