The New Zealand Raptor Trust

08/10/2026

CONGRATULATIONS DAVE 📸🦅📆

We are very proud of our volunteer Dave (DBLphotography) for having two of his photos chosen for Wingspans 2027 Calendar and especially proud of your amazing hawk photo (from Ashburton lakes area) on the front cover - well done Dave, thanks for sharing your photos to help with raptor conservation efforts

26/09/2026

Another Hawk has returned to the wild 🦅

Today was a beautiful day to release Perry near Pleasant Point. So whats Perrys story!

On the outskirts of Pleasant Point, Lyn found Perry being hassled by dogs, so she called us.

Jo, Ashley and Jenny, friends of the Trust, came to the rescue and caught Perry and got him to us quick smart.

After Zoe from Vetlife gave him the once over and found he was recovering from an older healing broken wing, all he needed was rest and good food so he could build up strength as his wing finished healing.

Perry is much stronger now so Ashley, Jo’s son, released Perry on Jennys farm (thank you Jenny), away from any dogs. He flew off and never looked back - stay away from dogs Perry!

22/09/2026

Volunteers wanted to help prepare raptor food — Timaru area.

Are you interested in joining the team that helps care for injured and rehabilitating raptors?

Our food-prep team cuts up a week’s worth of food for the raptors at one time. This includes portioning semi-defrosted raw hares and rabbits, ducks, chickens, venison and other food for our falcons, hawks and owls. Food is provided.

We currently have a couple of spaces available on the team. This role requires a long-term weekly commitment, come rain, hail or shine 😊

Time commitment: approximately 1 hour per week
Where: Raptor Trust site, Timaru
When: Sunday mornings, approximately 9.30–10.30 am

Please note: this role involves handling raw meat and preparing animal food, so it may not suit everyone.

What’s in it for you? You’ll have the opportunity to get closer to our rehabilitating birds, learn more about the work that goes into their care, and know you are making a practical difference for them and for us.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please send us a private message for more details.

14/09/2026

Introducing our second resident Falcon - Iana

Bonnie's got a boyfriend!
Unlike most youngsters, Bonnie didn't find her match on an app.

Instead, conservationists arranged her introduction to Iana, a 3 year old young male kārearea from Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust in Rotorua. You could say it's an old-fashioned arranged marriage... just with more feathers and fewer awkward family dinners!

The pair haven't shared a perch yet, so at the moment they're very much in the 'long-distance' (well the next enclosure) phase of the relationship. But if all goes to plan, this match could play an important role in the future of captive breeding for New Zealand's magnificent kārearea.

Iana is finding the weather a bit cooler in Timaru, but soon he should be cuddling up with Bonnie. We'll keep you posted on how the falcon dating scene develops! 🦅❤️

09/09/2026

Introducing Bonnie a resident Falcon 🦅

Meet Bonnie, a stunning 2½-year-old kārearea from Woodbury, near Geraldine.

As a young falcon, Bonnie discovered what must have seemed like paradise... a chicken coop with an all-day buffet on offer! Unfortunately, her poultry-raiding adventures ended when she suffered an eye injury that left her partially blind in her right eye.

Because of this injury, Bonnie could not be safely released back into the wild. Instead, she joined the New Zealand Raptor Trust's captive breeding programme, where she now has the opportunity to contribute to the future of her species.

Despite her limited vision, Bonnie has thrived in her new home. She is an active, inquisitive young falcon with plenty of personality and determination, proving that a disability doesn't define what she can achieve.

And there's a little romance in the air too... 💕

Bonnie is currently "dating from a distance (next enclosure)" Iana, one of our male kārearea (more about Iana at a later date). While they're not quite ready to share a perch yet, they're getting to know each other through careful introductions. As with any new relationship, we're taking things slowly and allowing them time to become comfortable with one another.

We're hopeful that Bonnie and Iana may one day become a successful breeding pair, helping to secure the future of New Zealand's only endemic falcon.

❤️ We're excited to watch Bonnie's story unfold and see where this budding long-distance romance leads.

📷 Leave Bonnie some love in the comments

"From a chicken coop buffet in Woodbury to a ‘long-distance’ courtship with Iana, Bonnie is proving that every falcon has a story worth telling." 🦅💕

05/09/2026

It's that time of the year again! 🎉 Bird of the Year - voting has opened for 2026! Remember when our NZ Falcon (Karearea) stole the show last year and got a sick tune written about them? 🎶 This year, let's keep the raptor squad strong and vote for our Harriers (Kahu) and Moreporks (Ruru) - they're basically the cool cousins of the bird world 😎

https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

28/08/2026

GOOD IN THE HOOD - Z Caroline Bay Timaru

We are nearly half way through the four weeks of Z’s GOOD IN THE HOOD promotion.

We are getting loads of tokens, thank you to those who have chosen to support us, but we still need many more tokens.

With the arrival of bird flu we urgently need to raise funds to put a roof over our netted areas to keep our Falcons safe, so our share of GOOD IN THE HOOD will go a long way to help make this happen.

22/08/2026

Its warming up so time for some releases

Today we released three Hawks.

First off was Remy. Kevin (from Auckland, travelling to Invercargill) found Remy on the side of the road near Wi******er - luckily she only had a large headache and sore leg. Mandy and her family who live near Wi******er were excited to release Remy for Kevin, as their injured hawk didn’t make it.

Second to go was Mrs Fiesty (and she lives up to her name), Mark from Lincoln found her on the side of the road near Fairton. He got in touch but he couldn’t stay so Julieanne came to the rescue and spent 1 1/2 hours looking for her before she was found - that’s a massive effort - thanks Julieanne 😄

And lastly, Igor was found by Felicity and her family (from Timaru) when they were visiting family near Ashburton. Igor had a broken leg and wing. Dries at Vetlife did an amazing job of operating (pinned) Igor’s leg, which was very successful.

So there are another three hawks back out in the wild which would not be if it wasn’t for Kevin, Mark and Felicity. All three rescuers did not live anywhere near where the birds were found, but still took the time to get in contact - thanks guys 😄🦅

16/08/2026

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!
We have been very lucky to be selected as one of the four groups to take part in the GOOD IN THE HOOD promotion at Z Caroline Bay Service Station starting tomorrow for the next four weeks.

The more tokens we get, the larger the share of the money we will get to put towards finishing our Falcon Breeding Faciltiy, so Pop into Z CAROLINE BAY and vote for us with your token!

"ONE LITTLE TOKEN, ONE BIG IMPACT”

Thank you Z Energy for this opportunity.

15/08/2026

Not every day our birds make the news! 😄🦅 We are based in Timaru and we want to give a big thanks to Anisha and RNZ Country Life for the feature, and to everyone involved whether it's rescuing, transporting, funding, feeding or providing their food, we couldn't do it without you all!

Ten years in the game, and 551 raptors on the books.