From being assumed extinct, to a healthy population of over 500 birds, the resurrection of the takahē is an incredible story.
The discovery of a small population of the big purple-blue birds living in a remote valley in Fiordland in 1948 triggered decades of efforts to increase their numbers and led to the creation of the Takahē Recovery Programme.
Zoologist, documentary maker, and writer Alison Ballance's new book Takahē Bird of Dreams charts the history and success of the Recovery Programme and celebrates the many physical and social quirks of the bird.
Ballance was previously host of RNZ’s Our Changing World and became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2017.
Photo: Potton & Burton
