In 1905, New Zealand released 50 Canada geese to establish a game bird population; the once-protected birds later became agricultural and urban pests

What began as an effort to boost New Zealand’s recreational hunting landscape eventually turned one of the country’s most notable examples of an introduced species into a management challenge. According to Landcare Research’s Review of Canada Goose Population Trends, Damage, and Control in New Zealand , 50 Canada geese were imported from North America and were released in 1905 under full legal protection to establish a game bird population. Notably, the introduction was successful, and within decades the birds had multiplied and spread across most of the country, transforming from prized hunting quarry into a species responsible for widespread damage to farmland, waterways and public spaces.

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