This is a list of New Zealand species extinct in the Holocene that covers extinctions from the Holocene epoch, a geologic epoch that began about 11,650 years Before Present (about 9700 BCE) and continues to the present day. This epoch equates with the latter third of the Haweran Stage of the Wanganui epoch in the New Zealand geologic time scale.
The North Island and South Island are the two largest islands of New Zealand. Stewart Island is the largest of the smaller islands. New Zealand proper also includes outlying islands such as the Chatham Islands, Kermadec Islands, and New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. Only New Zealand proper is represented on this list, not the Realm of New Zealand. For extinctions in the Cook Islands, Niue, or Tokelau, see the List of Oceanian animals extinct in the Holocene.
The islands of East Polynesia (including New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island) were among the last habitable places on Earth colonised by humans. The first settlers of New Zealand migrated from Polynesia and became the Māori people. According to archeological and genetic research, the ancestors of the Māori arrived in New Zealand no earlier than about 1280 CE, with at least the main settlement period between about 1320 and 1350, consistent with evidence based on whakapapa (genealogical traditions). No credible evidence exists of pre-Māori settlement of New Zealand. In 1642, the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman became the first European explorer known to visit New Zealand. In 1769, British explorer James Cook became the first European to map New Zealand and communicate with the Māori.Cook's Journal, 7 October 1769, National Library of Australia, http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/cook/17691007.html, visited 20120409 From the late 18th century, the country was regularly visited by explorers and other sailors, missionaries, traders and adventurers. In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi annexed New Zealand into the British Empire. As a result of the influx of settlers, the population of Pākehā (European New Zealanders) grew explosively from fewer than 1,000 in 1831 to 500,000 by 1881.James Belich, Making Peoples (1996) 278-80
Numerous species have disappeared from New Zealand as part of the ongoing Holocene extinction, driven by human activity. Human contact, first by Polynesians and later by Europeans, had a significant impact on the environment. The arrival of the Māori resulted in animal extinctions due to deforestation and hunting. The Māori also brought two species of land mammals, Polynesian rats (Rattus exulans) and kurī, a breed of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). In pre-human times, bats were the only land mammals found in New Zealand. Polynesian rats definitely contributed to extinctions, and kurī might have contributed as well. Like the Māori settlers centuries earlier, the European settlers hunted native animals and engaged in habitat destruction. They also introduced numerous invasive species. A few examples are black rats (Rattus rattus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), domestic cats (Felis catus), stoats (Mustela erminea), and common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula).
This list of extinct species only includes the indigenous biota of New Zealand, not domestic animals like the kurī.
Mammals (class Mammalia)
Bats (order Chiroptera)
New Zealand short-tailed bats (family Mystacinidae)
Possibly extinct Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesNew Zealand greater short-tailed batMystacina robustaNorth and South IslandWidespread on both islands in pre-Māori times, as evidenced by subfossil remains, this species was restricted to Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island and other islands off Stewart Island at the time of European arrival. The reason for extinction in the mainland was likely predation by introduced Polynesian rats. Listed as "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)" by the IUCN as individuals have not been sighted since 1967, following the introduction of black rats to Taukihepa / Big South Cape Island. However, the species might still persist on Big South Cape, Putauhinu and other islands off Stewart.
Carnivorans (order Carnivora)
Eared seals (family Otariidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesNew Zealand sea lionPhocarctos hookeri 'NZ'Coastal North and South IslandDistinct lineage of the New Zealand sea lion once found all over the North and South Islands, as evidenced by ancient DNA studies on subfossil remains dating to just before 1280 CE.Collins, C. J., Rawlence, N. J., Worthy, T. H., Scofield, R. P., Tennyson, A. J. D., Smith, I., ... & Waters, J. M. (2014). Pre-human New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) rookeries on mainland New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 44(1), 1–16. It was hunted to extinction by the Maori within a few centuries. Afterwards, the subantarctic lineage of the New Zealand sea lion colonised Stewart Island and the southeastern coast of the South Island from the Auckland and Campbell Islands.Collins, C. J., Rawlence, N. J., Prost, S., Anderson, C. N., Knapp, M., Scofield, R. P., ... & Waters, J. M. (2014). Extinction and recolonization of coastal megafauna following human arrival in New Zealand. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1786), 20140097.Chatham Islands sea lionPhocarctos hookeri 'Chathams'Chatham IslandsDistinct lineage that became extinct due to overhunting within two centuries of Moriori settlement, in 1450-1650 CE.Rawlence, N. J., Collins, C. J., Anderson, C. N., Maxwell, J. J., Smith, I. W., Robertson, B. C., ... & Waters, J. M. (2016). Human‐mediated extirpation of the unique Chatham Islands sea lion and implications for the conservation management of remaining New Zealand sea lion populations. Molecular ecology, 25(16), 3950–3961.
Earless seals (family Phocidae) Locally extinct Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesSouthern elephant sealMirounga leoninaAntarcticExtirpated from New Zealand around 1250-1450 AD.Berg, A. A., Askew, M., Seersholm, F. V., Verry, A. J., Hoelzel, A. R., Welch, A., ... & de Bruyn, M. (2025). Postglacial recolonization of the Southern Ocean by elephant seals occurred from multiple glacial refugia. Global Change Biology, 31(3), e70101.
Birds (class Aves)
Moa (order Dinornithiformes)
Giant moa (family Dinornithidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesNorth Island giant moaDinornis novaezealandiaeNorth Island and Great Barrier IslandMost recent bones in the Ruahine Range were dated to 1286–1390 CE.Wood, J. R., and J. M. Wilmshurst. "Age of North Island giant moa (Dinornis novaezealandiae) bones found on the forest floor in the Ruahine Range." Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 43.4 (2013): 250–255. The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Moa chicks may have also been eaten by Polynesian dogs.South Island giant moaDinornis robustusSouth Island, Stewart Island, and D'Urville IslandMost recent bones in Tumbledown Bay, Canterbury were dated to 1451–1952 CE (1558–1728 CE maximum likelihood), making this a contender for last surviving moa species.Rawlence, N. J., and A. Cooper. "Youngest reported radiocarbon age of a moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) dated from a natural site in New Zealand." Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 43.2 (2013): 100–107. They were hunted, and their bones are widespread in Māori middens, shaped into tools and ornaments. Estimates of moa remains in 1,200 open ovens and middens surveyed in the vicinity of the Waitaki River mouth during the 1930s range from 29,000 to 90,000. Moa chicks may have been eaten by Polynesian dogs. Burning of the giant moa's dry forest and shrubland habitat also likely reduced their numbers.
Lesser moa (family Emeidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesBush moaAnomalopteryx didiformisNorth Island, South Island, and Stewart IslandMost recent bones in Echo Valley, Fiordland were dated to 1310-1420 CE. The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Moa chicks may have been eaten by Polynesian dogs.Eastern moaEmeus crassusSouth IslandMost recent eggshell fragments at Wairau Bar were dated to 1320–1350 CE.Jacomb, Chris, et al. "High-precision dating and ancient DNA profiling of moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) eggshell documents a complex feature at Wairau Bar and refines the chronology of New Zealand settlement by Polynesians." Journal of Archaeological Science 50 (2014): 24–30 The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Remains are widespread in middens, along with tools used to cut up carcasses and to work bones into tools. Middens in the Marlborough district contained remains of more than 4,000 individuals and large numbers of eggs. Eastern moa was the second most abundant species recorded after the broad-billed moa. Moa chicks may have also been eaten by Polynesian dogs. Burning of the eastern moa's forest and shrubland habitat is also likely to have reduced its numbers.Broad-billed moaEuryapteryx curtusNorth, South, Stewart, and Great Barrier IslandMost recent bones in Ototara, North Otago were dated to 1464–1637 CE, making this a contender for last surviving moa species. The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Remains are widespread in middens, along with specialised tools used to cut up carcasses and to work bones into tools. Moa chicks may have also been eaten by Polynesian dogs. Burning of the broad-billed moa's forest and shrubland habitat is also likely to have reduced its numbers.Heavy-footed moaPachyornis elephantopusSouth Island and Stewart IslandMost recent bones in Kawarau Valley, Central Otago were dated to 1294–1438 CE. The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Moa chicks may also have been eaten by Polynesian dogs. Burning of eastern dryland forests and shrublands is also likely to have reduced the extent of suitable habitat.Mantell's moaPachyornis geranoidesNorth IslandMost recent remains were dated to 1278–1415 CE. The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Moa chicks may also have been eaten by Polynesian dogs.Crested moaPachyornis australisSouth IslandSubalpine restricted species believed extinct during the Pleistocene-Holocene extinction around 10,000 years ago, until a partial skeleton from the Bulmer Cavern of Mount Owen was dated to 1396–1442 CE. The main cause of extinction was probably overhunting. Crested moa chicks may also have been eaten by Polynesian dogs.
Upland moa (family Megalapterygidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesUpland moaMegalapteryx didinusSouth IslandButchered remains in the Murchison Mountains of Fiordland were dated to 1300–1422 CE. The main cause of extinction was overhunting. Remains are widespread in middens, along with specialised tools used to cut up moa carcasses and to work bones into tools. Moa chicks may have been killed by Polynesian dogs.
Kiwi (order Apterygiformes)
Kiwi (family Apterygidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsPicturesNorth Island little spotted kiwiApteryx oweni iredaleiNorth IslandLast recorded in 1875. Extinct due to habitat modification, introduced mammals, and hunting by farmers and prospectors. Some authors consider it synonymous with the South Island little spotted kiwi.
Landfowl (order Galliformes)
Megapodes (family Megapodidae) Common nameScientific nameRangeCommentsKermadec megapodeMegapodius sp. nov. 'Raoul Island'Raoul, Kermadec IslandsWiped out by a volcanic eruption in 1876.Hume, J.P. (2017) Extinct Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing, 560 pages. Though seen by Europeans, no specimens were collected and no remains survive. As the previous eruption has been dated to only 5,000 years before, it has been speculated that the same species of megapode lived elsewhere in Polynesia.Recently Extinct Species
Pheasants and allies (family Phasianidae)