New Zealand's Kākāpō Recovery Programme Reports Record 101 Chicks Born in 2026

One hundred and one kākāpō chicks. That number, reported on RNZ's *Kākāpō Files II* podcast episode "Lots of Kākāpō Babies" on 23 March 2026, is what a record-breaking breeding season looks like for the world's only flightless, nocturnal parrot. The previous high was 73 fledglings, set in 2019. The 2026 season hasn't just cleared that bar — it has demolished it.

DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme announced the births of 101 kākāpō chicks, with a few more fertile eggs expected to hatch over the next few days. The tally was shared through RNZ's *Kākāpō Files II*, the fortnightly podcast series hosted by Alison Ballance that has been documenting every twist of the season since its first episode dropped in December 2025.

The scale of this season was telegraphed months in advance. The total population sat at 236 heading into the breeding season, including 83 breeding-age females, and with most kākāpō mothers typically raising one chick per season, 2026 was always poised to potentially produce the most chicks since records began. What made it possible was the rimu. The latest data showed record-high predictions of around 50 to 60 percent fruiting across all three breeding islands — Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, Pukenui/Anchor Island, and Te Kāhaku/Chalky Island. The flightless, nocturnal parrots only breed once every two to four years, when the rimu trees mast, or mass fruit.

The season opened on Valentine's Day. DOC's Kākāpō Recovery Programme reported that Tīwhiri-A1-2026 hatched in foster mother Yasmine's nest on 14 February 2026, the first kākāpō chick in four years. From there, chicks kept coming. The number of kākāpō chicks climbed to 54, with plenty more fertile eggs still to hatch on Whenua Hou and Pukenui/Anchor Island, before the tally continued its ascent to the record 101.

Deidre Vercoe, DOC Operations Manager for the Kākāpō Recovery Programme, has been a consistent voice across both DOC media releases and the RNZ podcast throughout the season. "Every new chick brings the species further from the brink of extinction," Vercoe said. But she has also been clear that headcount alone is not the measure of success. Kākāpō are still critically endangered, so the programme continues working to increase numbers, but the goal is to create healthy, self-sustaining populations of kākāpō that are thriving, not just surviving — and with each successful breeding season, the aim is to reduce the level of intensive, hands-on management to return to a more natural state.

That philosophy shaped how this season was managed. A range of lower-intervention strategies were applied across the three remote southern breeding islands, including prioritising checks for genetically valuable eggs and chicks, leaving more eggs to hatch in nests rather than incubators, reducing nest interference for mothers raising multiple chicks, and reducing supplementary feeding.

The season has also produced some individual standouts. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason highlighted record-breaking female Ongaonga who, at four years old, became the youngest female kākāpō ever to breed. On Whenua Hou, a live camera in the nest of a female named Rakiura gave viewers around the world a rare real-time window into the season. Rakiura successfully hatched two genetically important chicks on 24 February and 2 March, though the older chick was later transferred to a foster mother; Rakiura has been living beneath a rātā tree on Whenua Hou, off New Zealand's southern coast.

DOC shares chick data with the public every Friday, with an uploaded photo of the tally written in marker on the department's refrigerator — a characteristically low-tech touch that has made the weekly reveal a ritual for kākāpō followers worldwide. You can follow the remaining episodes of *Kākāpō Files II* on RNZ National every Wednesday at 1:45pm, or subscribe through the RNZ app on Apple or Google Play.