Kim ParkinsonArts, entertainment and education reporter·Gisborne Herald·14 Aug, 2026 05:00 PM6 mins to read‌Conservationist Graeme Atkins' moko Te Ahupo has grown attached to two baby emus being hand-reared near his home in Ruatōria on the East Coast; pictured at right is one of the abandoned emu eggs after the male bird left the nest. Photo / Graeme Atkins

Up the remote East Coast of the North Island, a small colony of non-native emu has survived in the wild for decades after they were no longer farmed. One local conservationist has decided to try his hand at raising a couple after he came across a nest in peril. Kim