Kererū
New Zealand pigeon
Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae
Their Story
Kererū (New Zealand pigeon, kūkū, kūkupa) are much more than gentle and beautiful birds — they play a vital role in the regeneration of native forests. Since the extinction of moa, kererū are the only birds able to swallow the large fruits of miro, tawa, karaka, pūriri, taraire and mātai, dispersing their seeds intact through their droppings. They also feed on leaves, buds and flowers when fruit is scarce.
Breeding occurs from September to March and begins with spectacular flight displays, including steep climbs, stalls and dives. Kererū build flimsy nests and lay a single egg, with both parents sharing the 28-day incubation. When food is plentiful, a pair may raise up to three broods in a season, sometimes with an egg in one nest and a chick in another. Chicks are fed “pigeon-milk,” a protein-rich secretion produced in the parents’ crops, later replaced by regurgitated fruit pulp.
Kererū are usually quiet, sometimes giving a soft “coo,” or announcing their presence with the heavy swish of their wings. Within pest-free sanctuaries, they can live up to 15 years, but in the wild their average lifespan is only 3–6 years due to predation and illegal hunting. While kererū are not currently threatened, continued protection is vital to ensure these forest gardeners thrive for generations to come.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Populations are stable, but vulnerable to predation and illegal hunting outside predator-free areas.
Population
Widespread across mainland New Zealand, offshore islands, and within predator-free sanctuaries. Individuals in pest-free habitats can live up to 15 years.
Voice
Usually quiet, with a soft “coo” or the distinctive swish of wings in flight.
Food
Feeds on large native fruits such as miro, tawa, karaka, pūriri, taraire and mātai, as well as leaves, buds and flowers when fruit is scarce.
Large, colourful pigeons with iridescent green and purple plumage, white underparts, and a distinctive red bill and eyes. Their broad wings and heavy bodies give them a deep, echoing wingbeat that’s often heard before they are seen.
Kererū feed primarily on native fruits, leaves, buds, and flowers. They play a vital role in seed dispersal for large-fruited trees. Their flight is strong and direct, often punctuated by noisy wingbeats and dramatic swooping displays during the breeding season.
Breeding usually occurs when food is abundant. Courtship includes spectacular flight displays of steep climbs, stalls, and dives. Pairs build simple, twiggy nests and share incubation of a single egg for about 28 days. When food is abundant, kererū may raise up to three broods per season.
Found throughout mainland New Zealand and many offshore islands, kererū occur in larger numbers in forests with a high diversity of fruiting trees. Within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, they are commonly seen feeding on young kōwhai buds and porokaiwhiri fruits and gliding above the canopy.
While currently listed as Not Threatened, kererū are vulnerable to predation by possums, rats, stoats, and cats. Historically, they would have been massively abundant in broadleaf forests, forming huge flocks of hundreds of birds. They historically faced steep declines due to predation and habitat clearance, and have become much less commonly encountered in places where predator densities are high. Ongoing forest protection and pest control are vital to their long-term survival.
Kererū are an important part of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary ecosystem, acting as key seed dispersers for tawa and miro. They are steadily increasing in numbers and are helping speed up the recovery of the regenerating areas of the forest.
🪶 Kererū can eat even the largest fruits of forest trees — their ability to swallow tawa and miro seeds keeps New Zealand’s great forest trees regenerating for future generations.
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🪶 Ngahere Neighbourhood: piriwai (spiny gilled mayfly)
Tiny, ancient, and found only in Aotearoa — the spiny gilled mayfly (Coloburiscus humeralis) spends up to four years underwater before living just a few days as an adult.
Piriwai can only survive in clean, fast-flowing streams. Its larvae cling to river rocks, filtering food from the water with tiny hair-like gills. They are an important sign of healthy freshwater ecosystems, so much so that this species gets a rating of 8-9 on the sensitivity/stream health rating. All native stream macroinvertebrates are ranked in terms of their sensitivity and used as a bioindicator of stream health.
The Sanctuary stream is a reference site for stream health and represents a `pure`, unadulterated site and thus is highly diverse in sensitive stream invertebrates.
📸 Photo: Taken by Henry Hart here at the Sanctuary
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #AotearoaNature #FreshwaterLife #NelsonTasman #Conservation #Piriwai
Feb 17
Their Raucous Call Returns: Kākā Set to Reclaim the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. 🦜
This March, we’re scheduled to welcome two male and one female kākā fledglings from the Dunedin Botanic Garden kākā breeding programme. There’s also the potential for a further four birds to arrive in May.
Kākā are unique to Aotearoa and are nationally vulnerable, with populations heavily impacted by introduced predators. Releasing them into a pest-free sanctuary with ideal habitat (old growth beech forest) gives them the best chance to thrive.
This release will build on years of species translocations as part of the Sanctuary’s ambitious ecosystem restoration efforts, including:
🏠 Kākāriki karaka in 2021
🏠 Powelliphanta hochstetteri consobrina (giant snails) in 2021
🏠 Tuatara in November 2024 and May 2025
🏠 Kiwi in May 2025
Over the coming weeks, our team will be busy planning and preparing for this important translocation. We’ll share more details on timing and what to expect closer to the date.
Thank you to our community of donors, volunteers, business supporters, and Sanctuary Members for continuing to back the Sanctuary — your support is vital to every species return. We can’t wait to celebrate this next milestone with you.
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #Kākā #ConservationNZ #NelsonNZ #PredatorFree #NativeWildlife #Biodiversity
Feb 10
Win prizes for your best summer photo at the Sanctuary 📸🏆☀️
This season, we want to see the Sanctuary through your lens — the bright light through the canopy, the textures of the forest floor, and the tiny details that make summer feel alive.
Enter our Summer Photography Competition (part of our Sanctuary Seasons series) and you could win:
🏆 Instant camera (Junior Photography winner)
🌙 Family ticket to a guided night tour
📰 Feature in our newsletter + social media
🖼️ Printed display at the Visitor Centre
📅 Entries close 28 February - Submit your entries via our website: Link in bio
Photo credit: Helen Power - Entry from the spring photography competition
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #SanctuarySeasons #Ngahere #NaturePhotography #NZWildlife #NelsonTasman #VisitNelson #NZHikes #EcoTourismNZ #ConservationStorytelling
Feb 4
Looking for a unique and memorable date night? 🌙🌲
This February, we’re introducing Date Me Darling — private, curated date nights inside the Sanctuary at dusk.
Three styled locations. One couple at a time. You’ll have a styled spot along the main loop track, locally sourced food and drinks, a few games to share, and time to slow down together as the forest shifts into evening.
Beech Glade: for when you want the world to fall away — deeply hidden, totally private, just you and the hush of the forest.
River: crystal clear water, canopy above, flickering lights — the kind of setup you usually only see on Instagram.
Meadow: open sky, long grass, and the forest standing quietly at the edges like it knows not to interrupt.
Bookings are open now (limited spaces in February only so don’t miss out!): Link in bio
#DateMeDarling #NelsonNZ #NelsonTasman #ThingsToDoNelson #DateNightIdeas #NatureLovers #SupportLocalNZ #ConservationNZ #BrookWaimāramaSanctuary
Feb 3
Two cute to be true?
Brook Waimārama Sanctuary and @savethekiwinz teams have been busy over the past few days tracking and recapturing kiwi to remove their transmitters. Thanks to a huge team effort, all ten males were recaptured within just three days.
Some nest burrows held a surprise or two — in several cases a female was present, and a couple even contained chicks. One burrow amazed us all, with not one but two adorable chicks 😍
All chicks are fully independent at this stage of the season, and after quick health checks and transmitter removal, all adult kiwi were safely returned to their burrows.
This special footage was captured by kiwi handler Tamsin from Save the Kiwi, who led the transmitter removal mahi.
We estimate the 20 females and 21 males released in May last year have already produced around 10–15 kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) chicks in their very first breeding season — a strong sign the habitat is just right.
With transmitters now removed from all ten males, the kiwi are completely free, with no further handling needed. Annual kiwi call counts by staff and volunteers will help track the growing population across our 690 ha, ring-fenced, pest-free sanctuary.
Credit: Video courtesy of Tamsin Ward-Smith, Save the Kiwi
Thanks to our partnership with @terunangaotoa Ngati Toa and Save the Kiwi
#kiwipukupuku #littlespottedkiwi #brookwaimaramasanctuary #nelson #thetopofthesouth #conservation #biodiversity #nativebirds #natureloversnz #newzealandwildlife #pestfree #ringfencedsanctuary #conservationinaction
Jan 29
🎻 45 min string quartet concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
Come and hear a dynamic young string quartet perform a 45 min concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. We welcome everyone to come along, and bring anyone you think might be curious to hear some classical music in a relaxed environment.
The @antipodes.quartet is part of the Fellowship Ensemble Programme, a joint venture between the @adamchambermusicfestival, @newzealandstringquartet and @chambermusicnz, as a career-development experience offered to four of this country’s most promising young string players.
The Antipodes Quartet are Eden Annesley (violin), Mana Waiariki (violin), Tal Amoore (viola) and Lavinnia Rae (cello).
On this occasion, Brook Waimārama Sanctuary are welcoming everyone at local prices: Adult $15, Child $9; Family $35 (on the door)
Find out more: (Link in bio)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #NelsonNZ #Whakatū #WhatsonNelson #NelsonTasman #LiveMusicNZ #ChamberMusicNZ #StringQuartet #ClassicalMusicNZ #AdamChamberMusicFestival #NewZealandStringQuartet #ChamberMusicNewZealand #FamilyFriendly #NatureAndCulture #SupportLocalArts
Jan 27
