Vote kākāriki karaka for Bird of the Year 2025: The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
Vote Kākāriki karaka for Bird of the Year
Glow Up for the Kākāriki Karaka: Bright, Bold, and Back from the Brink!
Once widespread across Aotearoa, the kākāriki karaka is now our rarest parakeet – twice thought extinct and clinging to survival in just a handful of places. Here at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, they’ve made an incredible comeback. Since their reintroduction in 2021, our thriving population is now the largest in the country.
As the South Island’s largest fenced sanctuary, we provide these bright‑eyed manu with a predator‑free haven, abundant food, and space to breed. Every visit, donation, and vote helps protect this taonga species – and strengthens the fight to keep them here for generations to come.
Help us crown Kākāriki Karaka Bird of the Year 2025! Sign up below for updates and to be notified when voting opens!
🟠 Why Do Kākāriki Karaka Need a Pest-Free Habitat — and What Threats Do They Face? 🌿
Kākāriki karaka may be bright, bold, and full of personality — but they’re also incredibly vulnerable.
🔸 These tiny forest dwellers nest in tree hollows, which makes their eggs and chicks easy targets for ship rats, stoats and possums. When beech forests’ mast and predator numbers explode, entire populations can be wiped out.
🔸 Their beaks and feathers can also be affected by Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), a virus that has recently spread into parts of the South Island.
🔸 Habitat degradation from browsing deer and possums, together with competition for nest sites from invasive species like starlings, makes survival even harder. Competition with wasps and chaffinches for food is another challenge, though this has less impact where predation is the main threat.
That’s why predator control and pest-free sanctuaries like ours are so important. Our secure beech forest habitat, combined with careful monitoring and translocation efforts, gives these manu the best chance at survival — and a future.
📸 Photos by Sean McGrath taken right here at the Sanctuary
💛 Back the kākāriki karaka! – Head to our Bird of the Year page for FAQs, our translocation story, and a sign-up link so you’ll know the moment voting opens.
VOTE NOW
🧡 Vote kākāriki karaka for Bird of the Year 2025
Spring Photography Competition — now open! 🌿
Spring is starting to burst into life at the Sanctuary. From unfurling fern fronds to kōwhai blossoms alive with birdsong, spring at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is full of moments worth capturing.
We’re inviting photographers of all ages to capture the magic of the ngahere and celebrate the season with us. You could also be in with a chance of winning some prizes!
🏆 Categories & Prizes
🥇 Junior Photographer (under 18) → Instant camera + 2x Night Tour tickets
🥇 Adult Amateur Photographer (18+) → 2x Night Tour tickets
✨ Winners will also be featured in our newsletter, on social media, and displayed at the Visitor Centre.
📅 How to enter
✅ Take your photo at the Sanctuary between 1 Sept – 30 Nov
✅ Submit it via our online form
✅ Optional: share on Instagram, tag @brooksanctuary + use #BrookPhotoCompSpring
🌿 Tips for spring shots
Look out for budding leaves, fungi, flowering mānuka, and native birds. Use natural light, be patient, and always respect wildlife.
➡️ Full details & entry form: https://www.brooksanctuary.org.nz/photography-competition
#BrookSanctuary #BrookPhotoCompSpring #NelsonNZ #NaturePhotography
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