90 p\u0101teke have been released<\/a>\u00a0into the national park since 2017.<\/p>Project Janszoon Director Bruce Vander Lee said finding the first wild-born whio in the park was a milestone for the project.<\/p>
\u201cThere is so much that goes into predator control, captive breeding and release of native birds into the park \u2013 and then you wait and hope they will breed successfully.<\/p>
\u201cTogether with our partners, we\u2019ve done all we can to provide whio with a safe habitat, so to get word of them breeding successfully means we are making visible progress towards our goal of a sustainable population.\u201d<\/p>
Project Janszoon board member Aneika Young (Ng\u0101ti R\u0101rua and Te \u0100tiawa) said whio were a taonga species for mana whenua.<\/p>
\u201cTo see the manu returning and breeding is an expression of our ability to restore the park ecosystem.<\/p>
\u201cWhio are a key indicator for the health of the freshwater bodies in the park.<\/p>
\u201cThe news that they are breeding successfully reflects back on our role as kaitaiki to sustain and restore this precious environment.\u201d<\/p>
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