We’re honoured to have been given the opportunity by the Department of Conservation (DOC), Kākāpō Recovery Programme and along with Ngāi Tahu to name a chick this season. Anyone who has had to name a baby or fur baby knows how tricky this can be, so we reached out to our Meridian people for their help.
Our team came to the party with some fabulous, well thought out names. With some difficulty and then approval from DOC and Ngāi Tahu, we whittled the list down to just four and reached out to Aotearoa to pick their favourite.
We’re excited to announce that Atareta-A3-22 has been named to Ata Rangi.
Ata Rangi comes from the blending of his mother and father’s names, meaning new beginning or dawn sky. As the light pierces the night sky, providing us with the first glimpse of a new day, we are filled with hope. We think it’s a beautiful name and perfectly reflects the hope that we are feeling about the ongoing success of the Kākāpō Recovery Programme. Kai pai Aotearoa, you’ve done this little kākāpō family proud.
Quick Chick Facts:
Mother: Atareta
Father: Te Kingi
Sex: Male
Hatch date: 18/2/22
Fledging date: 29/4/22
Colour: Olive
Original chick ID: Atareta-A3-22
Atareta-A3-22 was reared by his mum Atareta along with sibling Atareta-A2-22. They’ve been very cruisy chicks with no issues and his weight graph tracked along beautifully just above the male mean. According to DOC, he’s just a nice, healthy kākāpō who’s kept things chill with no mishaps or wild adventures but now he has fledged, who knows what mischief he’ll get up to!
