A female pāteke (brown teal) and her chicks have returned to Christchurch’s Willowbank Wildlife Reserve following a successful 2025–2026 breeding season, marking another positive step in the recovery of this threatened native species.

The birds were temporarily cared for by The Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, which supported the breeding programme before the family group was returned to Willowbank in February 2026.

Pāteke are one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rarest native ducks, once widespread across the country but now restricted to carefully managed populations. Collaborative conservation efforts between wildlife reserves, conservation organisations and the Department of Conservation play a vital role in strengthening their numbers.

The return of the female and her chicks highlights the importance of partnerships in species recovery and reflects the ongoing work being done to protect and rebuild pāteke populations.

Through programmes like this, Willowbank continues to contribute to the long-term protection and recovery of New Zealand’s precious native wildlife.