Two-hundred kākahi are set to be translocated to Zealandia this weekend, with the help of local iwi around Wellington.
Kākahi are freshwater mussels under threat and declining due to loss of habitat and pollution. They're known as ecological engineers, with a single mussel filtering up to a litre of water per hour.
The kākahi are being translocated from Parangarahu Lakes and Wairarapa Moana to Zealandia Ecosanctuary in Karori, Wellington, with the help of Taranaki Whānui, Rangitāne o Wairarapa, and Ngāti Kahungunu.
The move is part of a wider research project with Zealandia which has already reintroduced 18 species of native wildlife back into the area.
