Coming soon to RNZ Podcasts is the new series Voice of Tangaroa, exploring the state of our oceans, and the extraordinary variety of life that calls it home. Released weekly from Thursday 29 February, you can find the episodes in the Voice of T

Bonus Episode: 2022 A Boomer Year for Kākāpō

Apr 27th, 2022 29m 49s

Alison Ballance joins the kākāpō recovery team on Pukenui Anchor Island to hear how the 2021/2022 kākāpō breeding season is going.

Voice of the Kākāpō 8: Success

Mar 19th, 2020 12m 28s

The 2019 kākāpō chicks are becoming independent and birds sent to be scanned for aspergillosis are getting clean bills of health, in part 8 of Voice of the Kākāpō.

Voice of the Kākāpō 7: Dark days

Mar 17th, 2020 12m 10s

A deadly fungal disease strikes the kākāpō population on Whenua Hou and the Kākāpō Recovery team calls on New Zealand wildlife vets to help, in part 7 of Voice of the Kākāpō..

Voice of the Kākāpō 6: Kākāpō chicks

Mar 12th, 2020 12m 23s

The kākāpō eggs are hatching, and chicks are being hand-reared or returned to their mother's nest ... but not every chick is thriving, in part 6 of Voice of the Kākāpō .

Voice of the Kākāpō 5: Kākāpō sperm takes to the air

Mar 10th, 2020 11m 3s

The tally of infertile eggs is climbing and the kākāpō team is using artificial insemination - and a drone - to try and counter the problem, in part 5 of Voice of the Kākāpō.

Voice of the Kākāpō 4: Promise

Mar 5th, 2020 11m 12s

Most of the female kākāpō have bred and the team is carrying precious fertile eggs to the 'egg room' for incubation, in part 4 of Voice of the Kākāpō .

Voice of the Kākāpō 3: Nest checks

Mar 3rd, 2020 12m 16s

Kākāpō breeding is in full swing after an early start, and DOC's Deidre Vercoe and Andrew Digby are checking to see if eggs are fertile, in part 3 of Voice of the Kākāpō.

Voice of the Kākāpō 2: Whenua Hou, kākāpō island

Feb 27th, 2020 11m 49s

The kākāpō team know all the signs are good for a big kākāpō breeding season - the question is exactly how big and when will it start? Part 2 of Voice of the Kākāpō.

Voice of the Kākāpō 1: Kākāpō - night parrot

Feb 25th, 2020 10m 3s

The kākāpō is a giant flightless parrot whose fortunes are tied to the rimu tree and to a dedicated team of rangers from the Department of Conservation.

Kākāpō population hits new high of 213 birds

Sep 18th, 2019 24m 16s

The youngest kākāpō chick has passed 150 days old, bringing the number of living juveniles to 71 and the overall kākāpō population to 213, in ep 24 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō chicks growing up

Aug 5th, 2019 30m 30s

The kākāpō chicks are graduating to being juveniles and only seven birds are still sick with aspergillosis, in ep 23 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō dads revealed

Jul 16th, 2019 26m 59s

Paternity testing has revealed who the top kākāpō dads are, as well as the success of the artificial insemination programme, in ep 22 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō waiting game

Jun 28th, 2019 29m 10s

The kākāpō health crisis is stable, with no further cases of aspergillosis diagnosed, and seven hand-reared chicks have been successfully released in the wild, in ep 21 of the Kākāpō Files.

Behind-the-scenes of the kākāpō health crisis

Jun 12th, 2019 39m 33s

Kākāpō death toll from aspergillosis rises by one to seven, while nine birds have been given a clean bill of health. Sad and positive news from the frontline of the fight to save kākāpō, in ep 20 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō health concerns continue

May 29th, 2019 16m 46s

The number of cases of aspergillosis in the kākāpō population continues to rise, with 30 birds on the mainland for testing & treatment. The deaths of Huhana and Merty drop the adult population to 142, in ep 19 of the Kākāpō Files.

Worrying times for kākāpō

May 15th, 2019 37m 2s

A spate of kākāpō chicks deaths from a fungal pneumonia caused by aspergillosis has DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Team very worried. Two further adult deaths bring the population to 144 birds with 73 living chicks, all in ep 18 of the Kākāpō Files.

Glad and sad kākāpō tidings

May 1st, 2019 37m 17s

The death of Hoki from a fungal infection brings the number of adult kākāpō to 146, while there are 77 chicks. Ep 17 of the Kākāpō Files includes a visit to Anchor Island & all the latest news.

Longest kākāpō breeding season

Apr 16th, 2019 28m 46s

With 75 living chicks and the final three eggs due to hatch this week, the 2019 kākāpō breeding season is set to be the longest on record. All this & the sex ratio of the first 49 chicks, in ep 16 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō chicks still hatching

Apr 1st, 2019 24m 36s

Most of the 72 kākāpō chicks are thriving in wild nests, the males are winding down their booming, and there are 7 fertile eggs still to hatch, in ep 15 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kotahitanga and kākāpō

Mar 22nd, 2019 11m 5s

Kākāpō chick numbers continue to climb. The latest tally is 64 chicks, including one named Kotahitanga, meaning unity and solidarity. Ep 14 of the Kākāpō Files.

Fat happy kākāpō chicks

Mar 15th, 2019 34m 31s

Thirty four kākāpō chicks are putting on plenty of weight in wild nests as the rimu fruit ripens, and 23 chicks are also being hand-reared, in episode 13 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō helpers

Mar 7th, 2019 24m 13s

Volunteers from around the world are helping the kākāpō team, with tasks ranging from feeding birds and people, looking after the power system on Whenua Hou and studying kākāpō sperm. We meet them in episode 12 of the Kākāpō Files.

Kākāpō rangers

Mar 1st, 2019 25m 15s

There is a hard-working team of island rangers helping save kākāpō, working day and night, and the chick tally has reached 44, in episode 11 of the Kākāpō Files.

Flying kākāpō sperm

Feb 21st, 2019 25m

In a world-first for kākāpō conservation, a drone (nicknamed the 'spermcopter') has flown kākāpō sperm across Whenua Hou / Codfish Island - the Kākāpō Files was there for episode 10.