The 2026 kākāpō breeding season is all systems go: nearly half of the females of breeding age have mated and so far 15 females are nesting. Technical Advisor Daryl Eason talks about record-breaking female Ongaonga who, at 4 years-old, is the youngest female kākāpō ever to breed. There are plenty of other first-time breeders as well. Six females were successfully inseminated with sperm from under-represented males. Ranger Maddy Whitaker updates us with the latest numbers, including a single fertile egg so far, and tech expert Jake Osborne introduces the kākāpō nest cam, beaming live from Rakiura’s nest on Whenua Hou.

Send any Kākāpō Files questions and comments to [email protected].

In this episode:

00:00 – Introduction

01:25 - Youngest female to mate

04:53 - Daryl Eason on Artificial insemination progress

09:17 - Maddy Whittaker with mating and nesting updates

16:00 - Jake Osborne on the kākāpō nest cam

20:32 - Closing credits…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details