The call of the kōkako was once common in Taranaki, yet when Tamanui was caught in 1999 in the Moki Forest near Whangamomona, he was the last known pure-bred Taranaki kōkako.
Tamanui was taken to the kōkako breeding programme at Mount Bruce in Wairarapa. By the time of his death in 2008 he had four children. They were released on Tiritiri Matangi, a predator-safe island near Auckland, and from there the numbers of Tamanui’s descendants began to grow.
In 2017, with the help of Ngāti Tama, the Department of Conservation and the Tiaki Te Mauri O Parininihi Trust, 20 of Tamanui’s descendants were released in Paraninihi Forest in north Taranaki. Once more the kōkako call cries out over Taranaki.
Search the Puke Ariki Heritage Collection
LinkPlease do not reproduce these images without permission from Puke Ariki.
Contact us for more information or you can order images online here.
The information on this website is provided for general research and reference only. While we try to keep content accurate and current, we make no guarantees about its completeness or correctness. It should not be considered a replacement for a LIM or a Property Report. Some content is supplied by third parties. Puke Ariki has not verified this content and users should check its accuracy before relying on it.The inclusion of a building on the website does not imply heritage status. See SCHED1 in the NPDC District Plan for a list of buildings that have rules about what can happen to or around them (administered by NPDC). See the New Zealand Heritage List for a list of buildings that are celebrated for their heritage significance but are not subject to rules (administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga). Should any corrections need to be made to the records or for more information please contact us.
