Codfish Island / Whenua Hou is a small island () located to the west of Stewart Island in southern

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It reaches a height of close to the south coast. The island is home to

Sirocco Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Names ''Sirocco'' derives from ...

, an internationally famous

kākāpō The kākāpō ( ; ; from the mi, kākāpō, , night parrot), also known as owl parrot (''Strigops habroptilus''), is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrots of the super-family Strigopoidea, endemic to New Zeal ...

, a rare species of

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

History and names

The island is one of many geographic features in New Zealand to have a dual place name, consisting of the English and

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

names separated by a slash. The English name "Codfish Island" refers to the endemic

blue cod The New Zealand blue cod (''Parapercis colias'') is a temperate marine fish of the family Pinguipedidae. It is also known variously as Boston blue cod, New Zealand cod, sand perch, or its Māori names rāwaru, pākirikiri and patutuki. It is ...

, which is fished commercially in surrounding waters by trapping in baited pots. The Māori name "" means "new land", which dates back to the early days of

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...

settlement in New Zealand. Responding to concerns and allegations that local Māori women were being harassed by

sealers Sealer may refer either to a person or ship engaged in seal hunting, or to a sealant; associated terms include: Seal hunting * Sealer Hill, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica * Sealers' Oven, bread oven of mud and stone built by sealers around 18 ...

on nearby Rakiura, the local

Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Point ...

rangatira In Māori culture, () are tribal chiefs, the hereditary Māori leaders of a hapū. Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority () on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that ...

, Honekai, designated Whenua Hou as the site of a new mixed race settlement where early Pākehā could live with their Māori wives under his protection. This encouraged sealers to move to Whenua Hou, alleviating the issues which their presence had caused on nearby Rakiura and making Whenua Hou one of the first permanent mixed Māori and European settlements in the region.

Wildlife

Codfish Island / Whenua Hou is home to southern short-tailed bats,

kākā The New Zealand kākā (''Nestor meridionalis'') is a large species of parrot of the family Nestoridae found in New Zealand's native forests. The species is often known by the abbreviated name kākā, although it shares this name with the rece ...

, fernbirds, red-fronted and

yellow-crowned parakeet The yellow-crowned parakeet (''Cyanoramphus auriceps'') is a species of parakeet endemic to the islands of New Zealand. The species is found across the main three islands of New Zealand, North Island, South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura, as ...

(both referred to as kākāriki),

Pacific black duck The Pacific black duck (''Anas superciliosa''), commonly known as the PBD, is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the no ...

s and a recently introduced population of mōhua. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because of its significance as a breeding site for several species of

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s, including

Fiordland Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lake ...

and

yellow-eyed penguin The yellow-eyed penguin (''Megadyptes antipodes''), known also as hoiho or tarakaka, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand. Previously thought closely related to the little penguin (''Eudyptula minor''), molecular research has shown it ...

s, and

mottled Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots o ...

, Cook's and

Whenua Hou diving petrel The Whenua Hou diving-petrel (''Pelecanoides georgicus whenuahouensis'') is a highly endangered subspecies of the South Georgia diving petrel that is endemic to New Zealand. The subspecies was first described by Johannes H. Fischer and collab ...

Kākāpō

The first

were transferred to Codfish Island / Whenua Hou in 1987 from Rakiura in order to provide a safe haven for the birds. Following the eradication of

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban a ...

and rats in 1998 and the transfer of

weka The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (''Gallirallus australis'') is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus '' Gallirallus''. Four subspecies are recogni ...

to other islands, the island became a predator-free bird sanctuary and the focus of kākāpō recovery efforts. Codfish Island / Whenua Hou provides kakapo with a home similar to their original home of Rakiura. As it holds the majority of the breeding population of critically endangered kākāpō it has become the centre for kākāpō recovery. In 2002, 24 kākāpō chicks fledged on the island. In 2009 and 2016, 33 and 32 chicks fledged respectively. Its most famous resident is

, a kākāpō born in 1997; Sirocco became the government's "Official Spokesbird for Conservation" in 2010. As of September 2021, 75 kākāpō reside on Codfish Island / Whenua Hou

Access

The island is visited by scientific researchers and Department of Conservation field workers along with volunteers working on conservation programs. The sole hut is located at Sealer's Bay in the northeast, with access by light aircraft or helicopter. The island is closed to casual visitors and unauthorised landing is prohibited.

References

External links