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Translocation fin-ale: toitoi make their last splash!
ZEALANDIA Ecosanctuary

Translocation fin-ale: toitoi make their last splash!

The third and final planned toitoi/common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus) translocation is o-fish-ally complete!

Led by kaimahi Māori staff, the conservation team worked alongside mana whenua to carry out the third release of toitoi into Roto Māhanga/Upper Reservoir on Saturday, 24 May. This release was a special one for our team, providing an opportunity to share what we’ve learned over the last three years and our exploration of mātauranga Māori alongside mana whenua.

In 2023, our journey began with the first stage of a three-year translocation of toitoi back into Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne. The conservation team focused their research heavily on quarantine and release best practices, as well as the relationship between toitoi and kākahi/freshwater mussels and their impact on freshwater ecosystems.  

The focus of the 2024 translocation was to help secure the newly establishing population in Roto Māhanga and also to research and trial a mātauranga Māori collection method, called whakaweku, alongside mana whenua. Whakaweku are bundles of rārahu/bracken fern submerged in the water to act as temporary habitat for species like kōura/crayfish and bottom-dwelling ika/fish. Toitoi take shelter in the fronds of the rārahu and can come and go as they please until the whakaweku is pulled from the water, with nets scooped around the bundles. This makes it a much less stressful method of collection. Whakaweku was used alongside western methods using nets for the 2024 translocation. 

The success of the whakaweku trials and learnings in 2024 meant that the team could confidently use whakaweku as the sole collection method for the 2025 translocation. The collection in April was mana whenua led and supported by Zealandia’s conservation team. This journey has been especially important to us to strengthen indigenous knowledge systems, which nurture connections with each other, mana whenua and with the natural world.  

The toitoi were released by a small group of mana whenua and Zealandia staff, and the population will continue to be monitored using whakaweku as an important tool in this mahi/work. This project is part of our 100-year beyond the fence catchment restoration, Kia Mouriora te Kaiwharawhara Sanctuary to Sea, and will help create richer, more interconnected ecosystems beginning at the headwaters in the sanctuary. Since the first translocation, toitoi have been spotted in Roto Kawau/Lower Reservoir and as far down the catchment as Birdwood Reserve, indicating the population is flourishing.  

On your next visit, pick up our Aquatic Critter Adventure Trail brochure to see what freshwater species (including toitoi) you can spot as you explore the valley!

Photo by Scott Langdale

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