Kea Projects

The Kea Conservation Trust directs funds into both captive(ex-situ) and wild (in-situ) projects to support conservation and best management practice of all Kea in New Zealand. Community education and advocacy programmes are also vital to support kea conservation initiatives and as such are a strong remit of the trust.

Additionally we are keen to showcase and support the growing number of kea projects from other institutions here and overseas.

If you are able to help fund any of our projects below please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

2013 Projects needing funding

• Winter Education and Advocacy Tour
• Population Surveys
• Nest monitoring
• Removal of lead in kea habitat
• Operational support

Current and Ongoing Kea Conservation Trust Projects

For more information on the projects listed below, please visit the appropriate pages listed in the menu. 

In-situ Kea Projects (in the wild)

These projects aim to help us understand the status of kea populations in the wild (whether they are stable, in decline or increasing), nesting survivorship, main impacts on kea at different locations and ways in which to mitigate identified issues.

• Population surveys (annually in January)
• Nest monitoring in survey areas (annually July - December)
  
• Ongoing Kea sightings (all year)
• 1080 repellents to prevent kea eating 1080 pellets (on-going)
  
• Surface repellents to prevent kea damaging human property (on-going)
• Removal of lead in kea habitat (on-going)
• Surface repellents to prevent kea strike on sheep (on-going)
  

Captive Projects

Captive based research on Kea focuses on ways in which to improve the overall physical and psychological health of the species. This may be through conducting research into species behaviour, health, best practice husbandry techniques and/or enclosure design.

Research into ways in which the advocacy potential of captive facilities can be increased is also highly important. Advocacy, helps raise awareness of a species, its habitat, and the issues surrounding them and, as such, is considered to be an important conservation tool.

Community Education/Advocacy Projects

• Winter Advocacy/Education Tour (June - July each year)
  
• Development of education resources for all ages (DVDs, education material, web based resources, school talks)
• Arthur's Pass Community Project

Non-KCT Research

There are a growing number of Universities here and overseas conducting fascinating research projects on kea. We will load a synopsis of each of these as we receive the information from the relevant researcher/organisations.

• 1080 repellents - Department of Conservation
• Tracking of kea through 1080 drops - Department of Conservation
• Kea Behavioural research - University of Vienna
• Kea Behaviour and lead level exposure - Victoria Univeristy, in conjunction with Department of Conservation and Massey University
• Kea vocalisations
• Kea as seed dispersers
• Tracking of kea (Auckland University)
• Kea strike on high country sheep farms