In 2015, scientists from Massey University, Auckland Museum, and the University of Waikato traveled with film crew from NHNZ to Rangit?hua The Kermadec Islands to study the archipelago’s biodiversity.
Rangit?huaThe Kermadec Islands lie approximately 1000 km northeast of New Zealand’s North Island and their remote location means the area hasn’t been highly researched.
NHNZ went to Rangit?hua to film an episode for the second season of its popular show Our Big Blue Backyard for TVNZ, funded by NZ on Air.
The natural history footage recorded three species of fish for the first time at Rangit?hua, which are additions to the fishes that are found in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone. The footage provides new reef fish biodiversity information for the pristine but rarely visited archipelago.
Massey University researcher Dr. Libby Liggins says: “Our collaboration evidences the value of natural history footage, other unconventional sources, as well as unlikely collaborations in generating new knowledge regarding biodiversity and changeas Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says ‘we all have a role to play'”.
The discovery of tropical and subtropical species Labroides dimidiatus, Chaetodon mertensii, and Ephinephalus rivulatus extends the known distribution for each species, two of which are also new records for New Zealand waters.
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