We're backing the matuku-hūrepo for Bird of the Year
Our regional parks and forests team is stepping into campaign mode – not for an election, but for Bird of the Year. Our candidate? The shy but spectacular matuku-hūrepo (Australasian bittern).
Spotting one of these large native birds is a rare privilege. Fewer than 1,000 remain in Aotearoa New Zealand, making them less common than even the kiwi.
Not only are matuku-hūrepo rare, they are also masters of disguise. With streaky brown-and-cream feathers that melt into the reeds, they can vanish in an instant — either slipping away silently or striking their famous ‘freeze’ pose, bill pointed skyward, swaying with the raupō (bulrush).
They have one give away: they're not so good at keeping quiet. In spring, male birds make a deep, booming call at dawn and dusk that carries for kilometres across the wetlands.
It’s this distinctive call that helps us keep track of these stealthy wetland dwellers.
Monitoring populations in Waimakariri
At Te Rauakaaka Nature Reserve in the lower Waimakariri River Regional Park, we’re fortunate to have a small but stable breeding population.
Each spring, regional biodiversity officer Brad Smith monitors and records their numbers through a mix of active listening and acoustic recording devices, listening for their iconic boom. This helps us track their presence and population trends, while contributing to the Department of Conservation’s regional and national monitoring programme.
Brad hopes that boom becomes familiar to everyone in the future. “It’s pretty special to hear that booming call echo across a wetland at dawn or dusk.”
Te Rauakaaka is a popular spot for bird watching
Healthy habitats are critical
Matuku-hūrepo rely on a healthy food chain and raupō-dominated habitat, which also makes their presence and wellbeing strong indicators of overall wetland health. If they’re thriving, it means our wetlands are healthy.
For this reason, our restoration work at Te Rauakaaka is focused on expanding raupō and wetland habitat, and new tools like thermal drone technology are being explored to better understand breeding success. With only 30 - 50 birds estimated to remain in Waitaha Canterbury, this population is small but vital.
“If we can keep them breeding here, it gives real hope for the species across Waitaha,” said Brad.
Encouraging sighting in Waitarakao catchment
Recently, a matuku-hūrepo was spotted in a paddock in the Waitarakao catchment north of Timaru — the first local sighting in two years, following one recorded beside a drain in the Washdyke industrial area.
Through the Our Waitarakao restoration project, we’re working alongside mana whenua, the community, and partner agencies to restore the mauri of the Waitarakao lagoon and catchment.
According to project lead Chris Fauth, the sighting in the catchment “had our team buzzing! We can’t claim it as a local just yet, but it gives us real hope.”
One of the aims of the project is to improve wetland health and create habitat where taonga (treasure) species like the matuku-hūrepo can once again thrive.
Chris is hopeful that will happen “With continued planting, weed control, water quality improvements and pest trapping, incredible species like this could one day call Waitarakao home for good.”
Every vote counts for matuku-hūrepo
By putting the matuku-hūrepo forward for Bird of the Year, we want to raise awareness of this special and critically threatened native bird.
We also want to highlight the importance of wetlands — places that filter our water, store carbon, and provide homes for countless native species. Supporting this interesting native bird means supporting the health of our whole environment.
So, this Bird of the Year, we’re encouraging everyone to back the matuku-hūrepo. It may be a master of camouflage, but it deserves to be front and centre in 2025.