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The story behind the recovery
The recovery of the North Island kōkako is one of Aotearoa’s great conservation stories.
But behind that recovery is another story.
It belongs to the researchers, conservationists and field workers who spent years in the ngahere trying to understand a species that, at the time, we knew remarkably little about.
They followed birds through dense forest. They observed, recorded, tested ideas and changed course when things didn’t work. They set out to understand why kōkako were disappearing, what they needed to survive, and what could be done to save them.
What they discovered changed the future of kōkako conservation.
This documentary tells their story.
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Why we made this film
The recovery of the kōkako has been told before. We wanted to tell the story behind it - how that recovery became possible, and the people who figured it out.
Many of the people involved in those early years of kōkako research still carry the stories of that time with them. Stories of what they were trying to understand, what worked, what didn’t, the breakthroughs along the way, and the people who worked alongside them.
We wanted to capture those stories, in their own words, while we still could.
Together, they tell the story of years spent learning, questioning and problem-solving in the bush - and of a group of people determined not to let the kōkako disappear.
Their work changed what was possible
What came out of those early years went well beyond the kōkako.
The lessons learned helped shape the way threatened species are managed in mainland forests and showed what could be achieved through good research, persistence and people working together.
The conservation of kōkako, and many of our other indigenous birds, stands today on the foundations they built.
Now the challenge is different. KEEP is working towards the next chapter: protecting and reconnecting habitat so isolated kōkako populations have room to grow, spread and reconnect.
Their work helped save the song.
Our generation must make sure it has somewhere to be heard.
See the film
We want this story to be seen and shared around Aotearoa.
Upcoming screening dates, locations and ticket information will be listed here as they are confirmed.
Upcoming screenings:
[TBC]
No screening near you? We're looking for communities around Aotearoa to help us share this story.
or send an email direct to
