The island of Motutapu is a ‘secret’ conservation island, meaning it’s one of the only pest-free havens in New Zealand. It’s just off the coast of Auckland and was declared free of rats, stoats and other pests by the Department of Conservation in 2011. Since then it has had a number of New Zealand most endangered species introduced, like the Coromandel brown kiwi and the shore plover. Just a few months ago the island was hit by cyclone Debbie, volunteers who run the projects couldn’t get on to the island and landslips covered access to nesting grounds. So what’s happened since then? And how did the birds survive the storms? Liz Brooks the general manager of Motutapu Island.