South Island Robin in Marlborough Broom

I had been looking to find a perfect companion for my South Island robin also known in Māori as the Kakaruwai when I discovered something…..

Did you know that New Zealand has a native broom species ?? Not the broom you would sweep the floor with, and no not the introduced yellow broom that is almost as hard to get rid of as gorse…..

It’s a stunner called Marlborough weeping broom and only a small number, perhaps a few hundred wild trees now grow around the Marlborough area in the South Island.

The rare small tree has weeping leafless twigs that are rounded and drooping. The flowers are white with purple streaks, in drooping spikes. All wild populations are now protected by law but the species has not made a great recovery so is still classified as vulnerable.

Not only do they look great together they both have a preference for a similar area of the South Island… both are classified as vulnerable.

The South Island robin , also known in Māori as the Kakaruwai  (weeping eye) is found only in New Zealand where it has the status of a protected endemic species. The birds are sparsely distributed through the both the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura.  The species is closely related to the the North Island Robin, now considered a distinct specie and also to the extremely rare black robin of the Chatham Islands.