Wētā Conservation Charitable Trust

05/10/2026

Fantastic work Chris Green, Paul Barrett and everyone else involved

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/regions_auckland/1693089/big-boom-for-wetapunga-population-celebrated

23/09/2026

Recently published in the New Zealand Journal of Zoology, the outcome of our giant wētā surveys from last summer. And it's not an encouraging outlook :-/

Once believed to be secure because it was assumed to live above the level of rat invasion, Deinacrida pluvialis shows declines of more than 90% over 30 years at two localities

15/09/2026

It was some very sad news for us to hear about the passing of George Gibbs, a man who has contributed so much to the knowledge and conservation of our wētā.

R.I.P. George, you will never be forgotten.

A legend has left his world. His legacy continues.

30/08/2026

Thank you Lily for your great articles!

29/07/2026

In the latest issue of the Forest & Bird magazine

18/06/2026

A big thank you to Twisted Frequency Festival for donating the income of their 2026 merchandise sales to the Wētā Conservation Charitable Trust.

We really appreciate your support!

Thank you to David Tait and Twisted Frequency Festival for supporting the Wētā Conservation Charitable Trust

16/06/2026

Winter 2026 Forest & Bird magazine is here - and it's great reading Lily Duval's article on our giant wētā surveys from last summer.

Some worrying results for the Southern Alps giant wētā though. In Price Basin (Westland), our find rate was more than 90% lower than in the last survey done in 1992. And in Fiordland, we didn't find any wētā at all, only rats.

We have a lot of work to do if we want to save these precious insects.

14/06/2026

Mountain stone wētā (Hemideina maori) and its amazing ability to survive winter in the New Zealand mountains

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1E4fUCY5Aq/

20/05/2026

A predator exclusion fence was built in the drylands of Patersons Terrace, Tekapo, in 2018 to protect the Nationally Endangered robust grasshopper. While any benefit to this species is yet to be proven, the Mackenzie Country endemic Tekapo ground wētā has been found inside the enclosure at densities almost five times higher than on the outside.

A predator exclusion fence was built in the drylands of Patersons Terrace, Tekapo, in 2018 to protect the Nationally Endangered robust grasshopper. While any benefit to this species is yet to be pr…

19/05/2026

Great news about the release of 450 wētāpunga onto Matakohe / Limestone Island in Whangārei Harbour.

The wētā were captive reared at Butterfly Creek. Well done to all involved.

The $15,000 project took five years to plan and needed specific consents.