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Under the cover of darkness this morning a milestone was celebrated in the efforts to increase the number of kokako.
From a population of just 300 breeding pairs in the late 1990s, the North Island kokako now boasts 2,000 pairs.
Hundreds of environmentalists, iwi members and Department of Conservation staff gathered in the Pureora forest at dawn.
Our Taranaki-Whanganui reporter Robin Martin headed into the forest with them.