Source: NZ Department of Conservation
Date: 10 July 2025
The young male kea was found with a shattered leg bone in Golden Bay’s Ligar Bay in February. It was caught by Kea Conservation Trust staff and flown to Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s Wildbase Hospital in Manawatū, where it received complex treatment and underwent a long recovery.
The kea was released into the Cobb Valley area on Tuesday after being driven to Wellington and flown across to Takaka on Golden Bay Air. Manawhenua ki Mohua supported the release.
Kea Conservation Trust’s Tracey Dearlove says it’s fantastic this kea has recovered well enough to be released back into the wild, but the incident is a reminder we need to live alongside the inquisitive and protected parrots.
“While many people think of kea as an alpine parrot, they naturally range all the way from the mountains to the sea so it’s not unexpected to see kea in lowland and coastal areas.
“Kea are smart and curious and will interact with people and objects, which gets them into trouble and poses unique challenges to their conservation.
“Typically, the younger birds are more visible as they’re especially inquisitive. This means they can stick their beaks into things you’d rather they didn’t.
“As an endangered and protected native species, it’s unacceptable and illegal to shoot or otherwise injure kea.”
Tracey says one of the main ways people can make their property less attractive to kea is by ensuring there’s no food available to them, including pet food or unsecured compost or rubbish bins.
“If they get a taste of food even once, they can hang around for weeks hoping to get more.
“Try to make your property as boring as possible. Don’t leave out unsecured items like shoes, bikes, toys and power tools that they can play with, especially at dawn and dusk when kea are most active.
“It’s a privilege to see these charismatic parrots appearing in coastal Golden Bay, but as their local population increases and we see them in backyards more often, we’ll need to learn to live alongside them.”
DOC Senior Science Advisor Kerry Weston says the nationally endangered kea are only found in the South Island of New Zealand and their population is in decline.
“There’s thought to only be 1000-5000 of these iconic and intelligent parrots left. They’re in serious trouble, mostly due to the ongoing impacts of introduced predators like stoats and feral cats.
“Interacting with people can also be a threat – such as when people feed them, which changes their natural behaviour.
“Kea like the taste of lead but its poisonous to them, so you can help by making sure there are no lead-based building materials on your house or other buildings.”
The kea database is building an understanding of where these iconic birds are found. People can record sightings at Kea Database. Anyone who sees a sick or injured kea in the wild should call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
Background information
For more information about the shot kea’s recovery, read Massey University’s media release.
Endangered kea on the road to recovery after shooting in Golden Bay – Massey University
The Kea Conservation Trust provides support in resolving kea conflicts.
For more information visit the Trust’s website
People can take steps to make their property less attractive to kea:
- Don’t leave food (including pet food) outside, and make sure compost, rubbish and recycling bins are kea-proof. A latch or weight attached to the lid is a good way to do this. If kea get a taste of food even once, they can hang around for weeks in the hope of getting more.
- Kea love the taste of lead, but its poisonous to them. Lead is most commonly found in nails and flashings of building roofs made before 1991. If you think your building may have lead fixtures, please contact the Kea Conservation Trust or DOC. They can help you find a solution.
- Try not to leave your moveable things outside. Pack away items like shoes, bikes, clothes, toys and power tools, especially around dawn and dusk when kea are most active.
- Protect your rubber wiring and other rubber items such as rubber seals on chimney flues with a barrier, as kea particularly like to chew on rubber.
