Bringing back the tūī to Banks Peninsula / Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū
Me he korokori tūī
How eloquent is he who has the throat of a tūī
The 7th goal of the 2050 Ecological vision for Banks Peninsula is “that at least two locally extinct species have been reintroduced”. Work towards achieving this goal began over 10 years ago with the translocation of 30 tūī (a further 42 birds were introduced in 2010) to Hinewai Reserve. Ten years on, and the future of the Banks Peninsula tūī population is looking promising. The effort required to get this project off the ground was significant and involved many different agencies, private landowners, and volunteers working together. More information about the history of the project can be found here.
BPCT’s tūī Committee continues to coordinate a community monitoring programme with led by ecologist Laura Molles. Each year a number of tui are banded for the purpose of identification. There are now 170 birds that have been banded. A list of the recently sighted birds can be found here. Reports of tūī sightings from the public will help us to monitor the population.
How can you be involved?
Report a tūī sighting
Support the tui monitoring programme by reporting a sighting (of banded or unbanded birds) on the iNaturalist website or contact BPCT directly with the details by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone (03 329 6340) Include a photo of the tūī you sight if you can.
Provide tūī friendly habitat
Tūī require a mix of tall trees and bushland habitat for nesting and sustainable natural food sources. You can help by planting tūī friendly plants in your garden. Information on the best “Tūī Tucker” can be found here.
Support a local trapping programme
The greatest challenge faced by the tūī population is predation during the nesting season. By keeping predator numbers low, high breeding success is more likely. Visit Pest Free Banks Peninsula to learn about predator control work happening on the Peninsula.
Supplementary feeding
Sugar feeders can be beneficial for the tūī when naturally found food sources are low. They can also help attract the birds to your garden. You can find more information about how to safely provide a sugar water feeder in your garden for tūī here.
