Since humans arrived in New Zealand, we’ve lost nearly half of our native terrestrial bird species. Some of those extinct icons are well known, while others are recalled only by myth and bones. We will probably never know the full polyphony of that primordial dawn chorus, but old bones and new science are giving us a richer picture of life in the land of birds, back when they still ruled the roost. For the first time, we’re able to answer questions about what they ate, where they came from, how they were related to each other, and how they got so much bigger, heavier, and weirder than their ancestors.

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Return of the lost birds

Since humans arrived in New Zealand, we’ve lost nearly half of our native terrestrial bird species. Now, old bones and new science are giving us a richer picture of life in the land of birds, back when they still ruled the roost.

For the first time, we’re able to answer questions about what they ate, where they came from, how they were related to each other, and how they got so much bigger, heavier, and weirder than their ancestors.

Why wasn't I told?

On November 5, 1881, close to 1000 volunteers and 500 members of the Armed Constabulary marched on Parihaka. The invasion and sacking of a Māori pacifist community and the imprisonment without trial of its leaders, Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi. Yet for many New Zealanders, the word “Parihaka” still draws a blank. On hearing the story for the first time, they ask: why wasn’t I told?

Fatal memory fail

It took just 13 generations for quolls to forget about their major predator, the dingo, according to Australian research.

Occupy the forest

When loggers returned from their Christmas holiday on January 18, 1978, they found 13 other protesters stationed in the canopy. Frustrated millers implored them to leave.

Aerial roots

If a root is above ground, how can it take in water? The Lord Howe pandan has evolved a solution: it has developed grooves that function like aqueducts.

Subdivision near archeological site gets the go-ahead

Fletcher Building has won an Environment Court decision allowing it to build 480 houses beside one of the country’s most important archaeological sites, considered sacred by local iwi.

What's at stake for Ihumātao, and why are people protesting?


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BIGGEST RISK TO AGEING WELL IS LONELINESS
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