Every year, New Zealanders take part in a unique conservation campaign that celebrates the country's native birds. In 2026, Bird of the Year returns with a playful election theme, inviting people to vote for their favourite feathered friend.
With the ninth longest coastline in the world, it’s no surprise that there’s an abundance of shellfish in Aotearoa New Zealand. It will be even less of a surprise that they’re an iconic part of New Zealand’s food scene.
Before indigenous-led tech and digital storytelling became more widely recognised, Māori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand, were already shaping the space.
A new wave of Māori design is carrying ancestral knowledge into the present with innovation, beauty and cultural depth. From reimagined wharenui (traditional meeting houses) to cutting-edge cultural centres, contemporary Māori architecture continues a legacy of indigenous design that’s connected to land, people and purpose.
Under the maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, the reappearance of Matariki in the mid-winter night sky heralds the start of a New Year.
Would you eat your national bird? Well, if the feathered friend in question was a turkey or a chicken then maybe, but surely not a cute, cuddly Kiwi? Although, when you hear the term Kiwi burger, you could be forgiven for wondering. Fortunately, the answer is no.
2.png)
.jpg)
.png)