News

New in-store displays and a limited-edition Māui dolphin soap from LUSH Cosmetics are shining a spotlight on the threats facing critically endangered Māui dolphins, as part of a nationwide campaign delivered in partnership with Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation.

On Saturday, Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation, joined forces with LUSH, Moana Rāhui o Aotea and Māui and Hector's Dolphin Defenders at Kohimaramara, Mission Bay, to take a stand for the critically endangered Māui dolphins.

A new partnership between LUSH Cosmetics and Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation, is bringing the fight to protect Māui dolphins into shopping centres and homes across the motu.

Tāngata Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation, has submitted in opposition to the Conservation Amendment Bill, calling on the Environment Select Committee to recommend that it not proceed. The Bill would make up to 60% of public conservation land eligible for disposal or exchange, putting the taonga species that rely on those ecosystems at serious risk.

Fewer than a thousand matuku-hūrepo | Australasian bittern remain in Aotearoa. Ninety percent of their wetland habitat is gone. Now, a proposed four-lane highway threatens Doctors Hill wetland in Northland, one of the last places these taonga birds can call home.

On Friday 5 June 2026, around 1,000 students from schools across Kirikiriroa Hamilton gathered at Tauhara Park, Rototuna, for Arbor Day 2026. Together with kaiako, parents, and a community of dedicated kaimahi and funders, they planted 10,000 native trees in a single day.

The Endangered Species Foundation has delivered its first online Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream workshop, connecting Bupa staff with the story of endangered freshwater species in Aotearoa and the actions businesses can take to help protect local waterways. The new online format opens the door for workplaces across the country to engage with freshwater restoration, native fish protection, and practical environmental action.

Earlier this month, the Endangered Species Foundation's Natalie Jessup presented Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream to Hamilton City Council as a ready-to-deploy solution for urban waterway restoration in Kirikiriroa. Together We Can Turn Things Around.

Ngā mihi to everyone who has purchased or gifted a Chatham shag through our Gift a Shag campaign. Your support is making a real difference for one of the world's most range-restricted seabirds!

Tāngaro Tuia te Ora has formally opposed McCallum Bros’ Te Akau sandmining proposal, citing irreversible impacts on tara iti, fisheries and marine ecosystems.

Native vegetation covers less than 2% of Kirikiriroa Hamilton, and many of the city's remaining ecosystems are under pressure. Across gullies, parks, lakes and along the awa, communities have been working for years to change that.

Tara iti numbers have climbed past 40 adult birds for the first time since Cyclone Gabrielle, with one young bird travelling across the upper North Island.

Recently our General Manager, Natalie Jessup presented at Stormwater 2026 alongside councils, developers and iwi representatives, to talk about the state of freshwater species in Aotearoa, and the work underway to reshape how urban communities relate to fresh water.

This September, leaders at the forefront of taiao restoration will gather in Kirikiriroa Hamilton for the first ever Endangered Species National Hui.

The Fisheries Amendment Bill strips environmental protections from how commercial fishing catch limits are set. It locks in catch settings for up to five years with minimal public input. It hides onboard camera footage from the public - the same cameras that revealed dolphin bycatch was 680 times higher than the fishing industry had self-reported.

Aotearoa freshwater fish are in crisis, with 76% threatened or at risk of extinction. Species like tuna and īnanga rely on connected waterways to survive, yet barriers, habitat loss and degraded rivers are driving decline. Restoring river connectivity, protecting habitats, and supporting iwi-led solutions are critical to ensuring these taonga species can complete their lifecycles and thrive.

Minister urged to intervene over 146 marine mammal sanctuary deaths in just two years. Data obtained by the Environmental Law Initiative (ELI) shows 146 marine mammals, including numerous Hector’s dolphins, Dusky dolphins, and seals, have been killed inside Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine mammal sanctuaries over the past two fishing years.

For Conservation Week, ESF General Manager Natalie Jessup was guest editor of the Sustainable Future newsletter from Newsroom Aotearoa.

After four decades of careful study, scientists have revealed that Hector’s dolphins, one of New Zealand’s most iconic taonga species, reproduce more slowly than previously understood.