Pecking order politics: Why Kiwis care so deeply about Bird of the Year

International campaigns, a Russian vote-tampering scandal, and an imposter taking the win, there’s one election that New Zealanders have taken very seriously.

No, it doesn’t involve politicians— or even human beings.

For two decades the public has pored over more than 80 native birds — and one controversial bat — to crown one Bird of the Year.  

The fun is meant to highlight our native fauna, and the fact that New Zealand has one of the highest rates of threatened species in the world 

Today on The Front Page, Forest & Bird chief executive Nicola Toki is here to take us through the history and future of the competition, and why we should care.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

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