Taranaki’s Lost Bird Comes Back: The Return of the Kākā

Once, kākā (kaka) were part of everyday bush life around Ngāmotu—then the forests fell quiet for decades. In 2022, award-winning author Janet Hunt heard an unfamiliar call while gardening in New Plymouth. It was a kākā (kaka) . This 14-minute ShoesOffGardener mini-doc follows Janet through the places and memories that shaped that moment—how a bird that once seemed plentiful here could vanish, and what it means when one returns.

Shot documentary-style in New Plymouth and wider Taranaki, the film blends an interview with Janet Hunt and on-location scenes in local bush and city green spaces. It’s a careful, serious look at our relationship with native birds—how loss happens over time, how communities respond, and how hope sometimes arrives on the wing.

Photo Credits to Janet Hunt – Thank you

13:24                                                                                                                         5/1/26