The Cause
At Christchurch Helicopters, we consider ourselves lucky to fly over our beautiful big backyard each day. This region has given us so much and as Cantabrians, we see it as only right that we give back and get behind a local who needs our help, the orange-fronted kākāriki.
After hearing about the plight of the orange-fronted kākāriki and the challenges it faces to survive, we're adamant that we can't allow this little bird to disappear forever. It's only found here in Canterbury and we can't stand by and not help out a fellow Cantabrian!
One of the greatest challenges for us is raising the profile of the orange-fronted kākāriki, which is no small task.
In partnership with the Department of Conservation, we have developed the Flight Path Programme to help save this critically endangered native bird.
We hope you'll join us to do something meaningful in our backyard and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
Terry Murdoch
CEO
Christchurch Helicopters
"Conservation in New Zealand is the responsibility of all of us, and if we all do a little bit it'll add up to a lot."
Richie McCaw
Christchurch Helicopters Pilot
It's small, it's shy and it's our most threatened native parrot. What is it? An orange-fronted kākāriki. It's a little Canterbury battler, as, twice in the last 20 years it is thought to have gone extinct. Interestingly, it was only relatively recently that this species, unique to the beautiful Hawdon, Poulter and Hurunui valleys was considered a species in its own right.
The status of these endearing little birds is critical. In simple terms, there are very few left and we are in a battle for their survival. But with innovative technology, like specialised apps for nest monitoring, location detection and trap management as well as geneticists working out how we can get optimal pairings from the remaining population, we have a better than ever chance to ensure they are part of the Canterbury landscape for generations to come.
With your participation in this innovative funding programme along with the incredible support we get from Christchurch Helicopters, we can do so much more to ensure the breeding pairs are the most robust pairs, and, through more effective predator control, we can keep them safe in
the wild. We also have ambitious plans to purpose-build breeding aviaries. We can not do this without your help and on behalf of the orange-fronted kākāriki team, we thank you, most sincerely, for your support.
Lyndon Slater
Team Lead, orange-fronted kākāriki
Department of Conservation