Forest & Bird, with award-winning musicians Delaney Davidson and Troy Kingi, have today released Kārearea, the first track in the new musical series Waiata Manu – honouring New Zealand's Bird of the Year winners.
Recorded last month at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios, Waiata Manu celebrates this year’s champion bird – the fierce and fearless kārearea New Zealand falcon – through an original waiata written and performed by Kingi, and produced by Davidson.
The Waiata Manu project will see a new song created each year for the Bird of the Year winner, building a living soundtrack of the nation’s most loved and threatened species.
“These birds capture our national imagination,” says Forest & Bird Chief Executive Nicola Toki. “Waiata Manu gives them a voice beyond the competition – a way for people to connect emotionally with the wildlife that makes this country unique. It’s art, it’s storytelling, and it’s conservation in harmony.”
Davidson, who conceived the project, says the series is about rekindling a tradition that began with Hirini Melbourne. He was inspired by Marlon Williams’s song Hoiho, which was written after Bird of the Year 2024.
“For generations, we’ve sung to and about the birds of Aotearoa,” he says. “This is about picking up that thread – celebrating the manu that inspire us, learning their stories, and carrying those songs forward.”
Troy Kingi was chosen to create the first-ever song for Waiata Manu.
“Troy just sat so comfortably in that space because of the freedom he has with his music,” Davidson says. “In this song, we’ve tried to capture both sides of the kārearea. We’ve tried to capture a menacing side with some of the darker tones and the lyrics, but the song/waiata also has a playful side to it too.”
Kingi says creating the first Waiata Manu was both a privilege and a challenge.
“The kārearea isn’t a gentle bird. It’s fast, intense, and ruthless – I wanted the song to reflect that power. Hopefully, people feel that energy when they hear it.”
Behind the music lies a serious message: more than 80 percent of Aotearoa’s native birds are threatened with, or at risk of, extinction. Forest & Bird hopes Waiata Manu will help people fall in love with these species, understand the pressures they face, and take action to protect them.
Kārearea is available now on all major streaming platforms, with a music video and learning resources launching alongside it at forestandbird.org.nz/waiata-manu
Forest & Bird is inviting New Zealanders to make Kārearea part of their summer soundtrack – and share photos or videos of themselves singing along or listening.