Endangered Species Day NZ, 15th May 2026

If you've followed Bennetto for a while, you'll know there are always birds on our wrappers. Look closely at our current and archived packaging and you'll spot some of Aotearoa's most precious native birds, each one carrying a story. They were chosen to start a conversation.

New Zealand has more threatened species than almost anywhere else in the world, with more than 4,000 species currently at risk of or threatened with extinction. For a country our size, that number is staggering, yet many of us go about our daily lives without ever realising it.

Our chocolate bars usually feature bird illustrations inspired by the cocoa-growing regions of South America and Madagascar, some of which are also endangered. But for our Drinking Chocolate boxes, where we had more space to tell a story, we chose two endangered birds from our own backyard, the tara iti and the tūturiwhatu.

We have also released special edition chocolate bars featuring the kākāpō and the pīwauwau / rock wren to celebrate their wins as Forest & Bird’s Bird of the Year.

These birds are remarkable, resilient, and uniquely New Zealand. Today, we wanted to share their stories again, why they matter, and how we can all help protect them.

Tara iti / New Zealand fairy tern

The tara iti is Aotearoa’s rarest endemic breeding bird. As of July 2025, fewer than 40 adults remained, including only 10 known breeding females. It is classified as Nationally Critical, the highest threat ranking in New Zealand.

Weighing just 70 grams, the tara iti is the smallest tern breeding in New Zealand. It nests in shallow scrapes among sand and shells on only a handful of beaches between Whangārei and Auckland, including Waipū, Mangawhai, Te Arai, Pākiri, and Papakānui Spit.

There is hope, however. The 2024 to 2025 breeding season produced 19 fledglings, up from nine the previous year and only three the year before that. Intensive nest management, predator control, iwi-led protection efforts, and the Auckland Zoo captive rearing partnership have all played a major role in this recovery.

Why it matters: Coastal shorebirds like the tara iti are indicators of healthy beaches and estuaries. Protecting them helps protect entire dune and coastal ecosystems.

Tūturiwhatu / Northern New Zealand dotterel

With its sturdy build and distinctive orange chest during breeding season, the tūturiwhatu is a familiar sight on sandy beaches and tidal estuaries around the upper North Island.

The northern subspecies currently has a population of just over 2,500 birds and is classified as Recovering, a conservation success achieved through decades of community-led protection. Its southern cousin, the pukunui, had only 101 birds remaining in 2024.

Tūturiwhatu can live for 20 to 25 years and weigh around 146 grams. They nest in small scrapes in the sand, often just above the high tide line, leaving them highly vulnerable to dogs off lead, vehicles on beaches, careless foot traffic, king tides, and introduced predators.

Why it matters: Where communities fence nesting areas, control predators, and keep dogs on leads, dotterel populations recover. Without these protections, populations quickly decline.

Kākāpō

The kākāpō is one of the world’s most extraordinary birds. It is the world’s only flightless nocturnal parrot, the heaviest parrot on earth at up to 4 kilograms, and potentially one of the longest-living birds, with a lifespan of 60 to 90 years.

Kākāpō are also the only parrots that breed by lek, with males creating deep booming calls throughout the night to attract mates.

By the mid-1990s, the global kākāpō population had dropped to just 51 birds. Today, there are 236 living kākāpō, all named, closely monitored, and living on predator-free islands, alongside a small experimental population at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari in the Waikato.

The 2026 breeding season delivered 59 healthy chicks following a strong rimu fruiting season. Kākāpō only breed when rimu trees mast, which happens every two to four years.

Why it matters: Before human settlement and introduced predators, kākāpō were once New Zealand’s third most common bird. Their decline is one of the clearest examples of the impact invasive mammals can have on island ecosystems.

Pīwauwau / New Zealand rock wren

Weighing less than an AA battery at around 16 grams, the pīwauwau is New Zealand’s only true alpine bird.

It is also one of just two surviving species from an ancient endemic wren family that once included seven species. The other five are already extinct.

The pīwauwau spends its entire life above the bushline in the Southern Alps and Kahurangi National Park, hopping between alpine boulders rather than flying long distances. It nests beneath rocks in tiny crevices, laying eggs roughly the size of a 10-cent coin.

Unfortunately, stoats, rats, and mice can still reach these nests. The species is classified as Nationally Endangered and was named Forest & Bird’s Bird of the Year in 2022.

In unmanaged areas, nesting success can fall between 0 and 30 percent. In areas where DOC controls predators, populations are more than double.

Why it matters: As temperatures rise, predators are moving higher into alpine environments. The pīwauwau is increasingly becoming a climate indicator species for New Zealand’s mountain ecosystems.

How to Help Protect Endangered Birds in New Zealand

Keep dogs on a lead

Especially on beaches between September and February. This is one of the most important things coastal dog owners can do to protect tara iti and tūturiwhatu nests.

Trap predators at home

Rats, stoats, possums, and mice are among the biggest threats to native birds. Predator Free NZ offers excellent backyard trapping guides.

Plant native species

Native plants provide year-round food sources, shelter, and nesting habitats for birds and insects alike.

Support conservation organisations

Groups like Kākāpō Recovery, the NZ Fairy Tern Charitable Trust, Forest & Bird, and the Endangered Species Foundation directly fund predator control, habitat restoration, and chick protection programmes.

Report rare bird sightings

Sightings can be reported through DOC or iNaturalist NZ to help conservation teams monitor populations.

Find out more

• Department of Conservation
• Kākāpō Recovery
• NZ Fairy Tern Charitable Trust
• Forest & Bird
• Endangered Species Foundation
• Predator Free NZ
• iNaturalist NZ

Happy Endangered species day, the Bennetto Team.