Whio – the blue duck
The whio/blue duck is endemic to New Zealand. It is a nationally vulnerable species and faces a risk of becoming extinct, largely due to habitat destruction.
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Te Tatauranga o ngā manu māra – te tūhura raraunga
He tohunga ō tātou tūpuna mō te āta mātaitanga. He mea whakamōhio i a rātou ngā raraunga mai i ngā mātaitanga i te manaakitanga o te...
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Mātauranga and the integration of Māori and western knowledge
Māori knowledge and methods are increasingly being incorporated into New Zealand’s conservation practices. In this story, we meet researcher Dr Priscilla Wehi who uses both mātauranga...
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Seaweek resources
Seaweek is New Zealand’s annual national week about the sea. It is coordinated by the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC) and includes...
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Eliciting prior knowledge
In this activity, students are given an opportunity to share what they know about the whio. Two methods of eliciting prior knowledge are modelled, whio bingo...
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Whio habitats and conservation
The conservation status of many New Zealand ducks is not ideal. At least seven native New Zealand duck species are extinct, and several are still endangered....
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Which duck is which?
New Zealand is home to a wide variety of water birds, including many species of ducks. Most of these are endemic, but some have been introduced...
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Introducing New Zealand ducks
New Zealand is home to a wide variety of water fowl. Water fowl is the common name for the Anatidae, the family of birds that includes...
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Why learn about whio?
In this recorded professional learning session, Shanthie Walker from DOC and Lyn Rogers continue to explore why the whio/blue duck is so important to New Zealand...
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Native bird adaptations
New Zealand separated from Gondwana around 65 million years ago. Due to the geographical isolation and a lack of ground-dwelling predators, our birds evolved unique characteristics....
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