Growing Up Kiwi
Film Trailer
Follow Almer, a young Haast tokoeka kiwi chick, as he strives to survive his first year of life thanks to the ground-breaking conservation programme Operation Nest Egg.
As a result of New Zealand’s booming invasive predator population, only 400 Haast tokoeka remain in the wild, giving them the unfortunate title of being the world’s rarest kiwi. Without hands-on management, only 5% of tokoeka chicks would survive, with the other 95% becoming prey to an ever growing stoat population. To give these chicks a chance at life, conservation rangers must remove the eggs from the wild and raise them to stoat-fighting weight before they can be returned back home.
Watch as Almer grows from a tiny ball of ginger fluff to a 2kg predator fighting machine, and witness the dedication of the people working hard to help him survive.
Little Penguins
At only 30cm tall, Kororā/Little Penguins have the adorable title of being the world’s smallest penguins. However, being tiny comes with many challenges. At night, as these penguins make their way from the ocean to their burrows, many can be found crossing New Zealand’s roads. To help out their threatened colony, Oamaru locals teamed together to build an underground penguin tunnel, allowing these lucky penguins to get home safely. Below is a short video I filmed in 2017 of some of these penguins using the tunnel.
Life in the Halo
Polly-Anne and Lyle are released into their new home, on the outskirts of Dunedin - Orokonui Ecosanctuary. While they’re safe inside the predator-proof fencing, many of the sanctuary’s kākā are exploring beyond the boundaries, leaving them vulnerable to the predators waiting outside. This 5-minute film explores how the Halo Project is working towards expanding the safe zone, giving Polly-Anne and Lyle a fighting chance outside the sanctuary.