Good news for Kimiākau's braided river birds

New survey results from the Tucker Beach Wildlife Trust show encouraging signs for some of the Queenstown Lakes District's most threatened braided river bird species.

The 2024 and 2025 Kimiākau / Lower Shotover River Braided River Bird Survey has delivered encouraging results, with several braided river bird populations appearing stable or increasing despite ongoing pressures from weeds, predators, human disturbance and high river flows. The 2025 survey recorded the highest bird counts since monitoring began in 2021, with the Tucker Beach Wildlife Management Reserve continuing to provide critical habitat for these species. Counts of black-fronted terns increased by 89%, black-billed gulls by 216%, and banded dotterels by 83% over the monitoring period.

The findings highlight the value of community-led conservation efforts. Through the work of the Tucker Beach Wildlife Trust and its partners, more than 40 hectares of habitat within the Tucker Beach Wildlife Management Reserve has been cleared of invasive weeds, helping protect and restore nesting habitat for nationally important braided river birds.

Braided rivers are among New Zealand's rarest and most threatened ecosystems, making these results particularly encouraging for biodiversity in the Whakatipu Basin.

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Photo credit: Steve Couper