Hundreds of seabirds have been found washed up along the West Coast of the North Island in the past month or so.
As the H5N1 Bird Flu virus continues to spread around the world there were initial concerns that the migratory birds may have contracted the disease and brought it to New Zealand.
But further testing has ruled that out.
Maggie Tweedie speaks to DOC principal Science Advisor Graeme Taylor about what caused the deaths.
Sooty shearwaters travel huge distances across the Pacific. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
