Photo of a long-tailed bat by Colin O'Donnell Pekapeka, or bats, are Aotearoa’s only native land mammals. There are two existing species, the long-tailed bat (pekapeka-tou-roa) and the lesser short-tailed bat (pekapeka-tou-poto). Bats were once common and extremely widespread throughout the country; however, they have now grown scarce due to predation and habitat loss. The long-tailed bat is distributed across mainland New Zealand, as well as Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands, Stewart...

by Shanti Truong-George, Kauri Protection Coordinator “I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho.” A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions. The tuatara is one of the most unique reptile species in the world. The whakataukī above literally refers to poking a tuatara out of its burrow, but it more broadly speaks to being creative and persistent when encountering a problem. Though they may look like lizards, tuatara are not. Instead, they belong to their own order, Rhynchocephalia (lizards...

by Shanti Truong-George, Kauri Protection Coordinator The banded rail (moho pererū, Hypotaenidia philippensis ) is a small, inconspicuous bird that lives in saltmarshes and mangroves. Being very shy, they hide deep amongst the mangroves. In Māori mythology, the laughter of the moho pererū, also known as pātātai , led to the death of Māui. Did you know we have some local moho pererū right here in Kaipātiki? Learn more about them and how to become a Banded Rail Bandit (protector of this...