DOC's work with New Zealand pigeon/kererū

New Zealand pigeon/kererū, close up of head,
Codfish Island

The Department of Conservation is involved in educating the public about the plight of the New Zealand pigeon and encouraging local initiatives to save it.

In Northland, the Department has been working with local iwi in an attempt to curb illegal poaching of the kūkupa by educating young Māori about the disastrous effect this activity is having on the birds' survival rate.

On the Chatham Islands, landowners have helped protect the habitat of the parea by creating reserves and fencing remnant bush to keep out stock. Numbers have recovered from a low of about 40 birds in the 1980s to around 250 in 2005.