Hoiho are a taonga species of immense cultural, ecological, and national significance, yet they now stand on the brink of functional extinction on mainland New Zealand. With fewer than 150 breeding pairs remaining on the mainland and survival rates declining across all northern subpopulations, the need for decisive action has never been more urgent.
WWF urges the government to approach hoiho conservation with the urgency, ambition, and precaution that the situation demands.
Eliminating set-net bycatch is the most immediate, practical, and effective step available. It must be implemented alongside broader reforms to ensure the long-term health of New Zealand’s marine ecosystems. Allowing even a small number of preventable deaths each year risks tipping the species into irreversible decline.
The options presented appear to attempt to do the bare minimum while preventing economic impacts, but we really should be focusing on preventing the intergenerational loss of an iconic endemic species of Aotearoa.
We cannot allow the survival of a taonga species to be reduced to a symbol on our currency. A future in which hoiho can only be seen on the five-dollar note would represent a profound moral and national failure. With decisive leadership and robust action, that future is still preventable.