New Zealand has only one endemic gull, the tarāpuka, and it’s more endangered than the takahē, the hoiho and all five species of kiwi. Its survival depends on the preservation of the South Island’s unique braided-river ecosystems.


	Meet our special gull New Zealand has only one endemic gull, the tarāpuka, and it’s more endangered than the takahē, the hoiho and all five species of kiwi. Its survival depends on the preservation of the South Island’s unique braided-river ecosystems. Yesterday, nine of the critically-endangered gulls were found dead, run over by a 4WD on the riverbed of the Ashley-Rakahuri River. The colony there was the first in decades. It's a clue as to why this species is as endangered as the kākāpō.


	Inside the life of the world's largest wading bird Deep in the Mackenzie Basin, black stilts roam free in the wild, unaware that behind the scenes, a handful of people are trying to solve a problem: how to protect a species that refuses to be contained?

Gulls take advantage of big-city living

Otago is hot property for endemic red-billed gulls, with the population from Moeraki to Nugget Point in numbers triple those of 20 years ago.

The gannet diet

The Australasian gannet forages by plucking fish from the sea, then regurgitates food for its young—but is it getting the right nutrition?


	Fly over Auckland from your armchair... New Zealand Geographic's NZVR Project lets you travel through New Zealand's wild places using virtual reality on any phone, tablet or desktop computer. Glide with stingrays at the Poor Knights, swim through swaying sargassum weed at the Three Kings, dive with pilot whales off the edge of the continental shelf, explore the shallows of Parengarenga Harbour, experience the charms and challenges of the Hauraki Gulf... even swim with humpback whales in Niue! Production was funded by Foundation North's Gulf Innovation Fund Together (GIFT), NZonAir and supported by partners WWF and Sir Peter Blake Trust.