Update: Pacific Black Duck for Bird of the Year 2026

Update (19/09/26): We received a hint from the contest organisers (Forest & Bird NZ) that the PBD is a genuine contender to place in the top 10! This would be a huge win for awareness raising, and educating kiwis about the plight of the PBD/Grey duck in NZ! We need as many votes as possible to keep a top 10 finnish in site! Thank you.

Original post:

Voting is now open for the 2026 New Zealand Bird of the Year! Please remember to click the link sent to your email (check spam folder) after voting, or the vote doesn't count!

https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/?bird=grey-duck

A vote for the PBD (Grey Duck/pārera in NZ) is an easy way to help educate the NZ public about the existence and mismanagement of PBDs. The winner gets nothing but increased awareness, which is especially important for little-known species like the PBD.

The PBD's situation in NZ is dire due to decades of inappropriate management. Duck conservation & management is unfortunately the responsibility of Fish & Game NZ, a hunting organisation rather than a government department. A serious conflict of interest.

Fish & Game NZ's predecessor was the NZ acclimatisation society. While their peers were introducing foxes, blackbirds and starlings in Australia, they were busy introduced domestic game/farm mallards into NZ for hunting.

The craziest part, Fish & Game are still introducing mallards in NZ! They have conducted research on how to improve mallard duckling survival in the wild. Despite our efforts, they are yet to acknowledge the impact they have had on PBDs in NZ, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island (Fish & Game banded hybrids have been photographed on these islands).

Under Fish & Game's management, PBDs can still be shot, despite being nationally endangered. There are also no bag limits for mallards, who are also protected by hunting seasons.

We believe the only reason that this is still a thing is the lack of awareness of the issue in NZ. It's time Fish & Game NZ take responsibility for the damage their organisation has caused.

From an Australian point of view, the mismanagement of NZ's mallards by F&G NZ has resulted in the replacement of PBDs of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. Hybrids are now on Macquarie Island and have been reported in Fiji and Niue. Something needs to be done before NZ mallards start to replace PBDs on more Pacific islands.

Thank you for your support!

News Archive