Our patients recover at our centre after treatment at Wildbase Hospital, they change regularly as they recover and are released back into the wild.
Our resident animals are with us all the time so there is always something to see.
Only around 2,500 Pāteke survive today.
Part of a captive breed for release programme in partnership with the Department of Conservation, our pāteke have produced more than 200 chicks that have been released back into the wild. Pāteke were once widespread across NZ, but loss of their wetland habitat and predation have made it our rarest waterfowl.
On 21 May 2025, this new pāteke pair joined our centre. The male hatched October 2024, at Isaacs Conservation and Wildlife Trust, Christchurch. The female hatched August 2024, found orphaned on Great Barrier Island.
Pāteke are flock mated, meaning they’ve chosen their own partners rather than having their pairings selected for them.
The pāteke breeding season begins in July and runs until September each year (although they can still breed through Spring and Summer). Pāteke can produce one to three clutches a year with 5 to 7 ducklings per clutch.
Like much of New Zealand’s wildlife, both male and female pāteke have the same colouring but during breeding season our male pāteke shows off his beautiful breeding plumage which consist of a bright white ring around his eyes and a green iridescent colour on his neck feathers. Female pāteke are also smaller than males.
