Overview

• Forest & Bird reported more than 75,000 verified votes from 123 countries, with 87% cast in New Zealand.
• Official estimates place the kārearea population at roughly 5,000–8,000, with threats including electrocution, habitat loss and introduced predators.
• The falcon earned more than 14,500 votes and becomes a repeat champion after first winning in 2012.
• Kea finished second and the karure/black robin third, with Forest & Bird noting about 80% of the top contenders remain in trouble.
• In the 20th-anniversary contest, all 73 entrants had volunteer campaign managers in a largely scandal-free poll focused on driving conservation awareness.