Freshwater fish release at Zealandia

Zealandia and Taranaki Whānui ki te Ūpoko o te Ika have begun releasing freshwater bully into the Wellington ecosanctuary after collecting them using a traditional method.

While Toitoi  are common around New Zealand, but prior to 2023, they'd been completely lost from Zealandia.

Whakaweku is a traditional Māori catching method using bundles of rārahu - bracken fern - that was tried as a collection method for this project.

NIWA freshwater ecologist Mark Fenwick speaks to Jesse.