1422 days ago

Zoo staff hunt for puweto: west Auckland

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Auckland Zoo staff have joined Matuku Link colleagues to scour for the elusive puweto.

Puweto, or the small dark coloured rails, live in freshwater wetlands scattered throughout the country, with their largest populations in the North Island.

The Matuku Link is a 37 hectare native forest block in west Auckland's Bethell's Valley.

The reserve connects many protected areas including Ark in the Park, Habitat Te Henga, Forrest Ridge and Matuku Reserve.

Staff from the zoo and Matuku Link joined volunteers to search for the birds in Bethells wetlands.

The presence of small dark coloured rails in a particular wetland signals the overall health of the ecosystem.

But more than 90 per cent of New Zealand's wetland areas have been drained and cleared for agriculture which has yielded a major impact on all species.

Puweto need vegetation such as raupo and kuta in which to forage and nest.

Surveyors used a recorded sound of the birds' calls to aid monitoring.

They saw two puweto and netted 13 call responses at 38 listening posts.

Photo: John Sumich

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What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.

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Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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I'm writing an article on the different challenges faced by parents around the country, from midwife availability and getting on wait lists for childcare right down to the food at birthing centres.

Are you keen to share your experience on what you found easy and what was hard? Please email olivia.wannan@stuff.co.nz or leave a message below. Thanks all :)

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