Vote Wille Weka

  I’ll tell you about weka.

• We’re smart. Maybe we’re nosey and annoying but it’s just because we have to find things out.
• We’re only found in New Zealand. Long ago our ancestors flew here from Australia but now our wings are tiny and we can’t fly.
• There used to be heaps of us but not any longer – we’re becoming rare. It’s those dratted stoats and dogs killing us.
• The North Island weka is really rare – only a few thousand birds left but luckily nice Forest and Bird people took some of us to Northland, to the Russell Peninsula. We’re doing well there. No stoats there but lots of kiwi.
• You can see weka on the West Coast of the South Island too, at places like Punakaiki. And as for the eastern weka, which used to live in Canterbury, they’re extinct there now! Luckily people took some of them to the Chatham Islands. The weka love it there.

Forest and Bird is running ‘Bird of the Year’ where you can vote for your favourite native bird. It’s happened before and fantail, kakapo, kakariki, brown kiwi, grey warbler and tui have all been winners.

That’s outrageous! Dopey birds like that! (except you, Kiri kiwi. I didn’t mean you.)
This year, it ought to be weka, so I want all you kids to vote for me – I mean vote for weka.

To vote go here - www.birdoftheyear.org.nz. Voting closes on November 25th