Pāteke released at Rotokare

A flock of 51 pāteke, or brown teal, were released into the Rotokare Scenic Reserve yesterday.

The birds had been headed for another place in New Zealand, but when that fell through, they were offered to Rotokare, sanctuary manager Sophie Tucker said.

‘‘Many people have come together at short notice to make this happen.’’

The pāteke were welcomed with a karakia from Ngati Tupaia.

Pāteke were first reintroduced to the Rotokare sanctuary in 2019 after about 100 years of regional extinction.

‘‘Since then, we have been delighted to receive even more of these endangered manu to boost this growing population,’’ Tucker said.