Inspiring communities to protect kea, New Zealand's unique mountain parrot

Manuals And Papers

The Kea Conservation Trust web-site aims to provide an easily accessible centralised resource for information and research on kea and the issues impacting on this species and its habitat. If you have additional relevant research or literature which is not yet loaded on this page, please contact us so that we may make it available to all interested parties.

Documents

A number of scientific publications and document pdfs are provided below. For a full bibliography with links please visit our Bibliography page. Many thanks to all of those organisations who have allowed access to these for the purpose of greater awareness of kea conservation.

Kea Knowledge Review

Despite their cultural significance and iconic status, kea (Nestor notabilis) are in decline due to a range of complex threats and knowledge gaps, highlighting the urgent need for a formal recovery strategy and strategic research plan.

Read the Report

Te Rautaki Whakaora Kea/ Kea Recovery Strategy

This strategy aims to foster the survival and recovery of kea across Te Waipounamu/South Island and provides direction and guidance for all partners, organisations and groups involved in kea conservation.

Download The Document

5 year Action Plan

The Kea 5-Year Action Plan, endorsed by the Kea Governance Group, outlines a prioritisation framework for conservation actions—Essential (critical to achieving short-term goals and addressing high-risk areas), High (key for long-term goals with moderate risk), and Medium (important for long-term goals but lower immediate risk).

Download the Action Plan

Kea Guidelines For Plantation Forestry

Kea who visit forestry operations are usually young birds that ‘mob up’ at different times of the year and move from place to place. Protocols should be followed to avoid negative effects on kea and forestry equipment. If young birds are not actively fed, they will eventually get bored or hungry and move on.

DOWNLOAD Kea guidelines

Safe Pest Control in Kea Habitat

This document is intended as a best practice guide for ground-based pest control activities conducted in kea habitat.

Download Our Safe Practice Guide

Guidelines for assessing “Kea Safe” pest control tools

This document outlines Kea Recovery Group guidelines for groups aiming to assess if a pest control tool is safe to be deployed in kea habitat.

Download The Guidelines

Living With Kea

If you live in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, you may at some stage have shared your habitat with the inquisitive kea.

We know that sometimes kea can stick

their beaks into things you’d rather they

didn’t, so we’d like to offer some easy

ways to ‘kea proof’ your property.

Download the Document

Kea (Nestor notabilis) Husbandry Manual

This husbandry manual sets new standards and expectations for the captive husbandry of kea in New Zealand. The minimum standards throughout this document are designed to provide the minimum welfare guidelines for captive kea. It is hoped that all kea holders will strive for the best practice standards outlined here and even better, exceed them.

Download Husbandry Manual