
A groundbreaking collaboration between New Zealand’s Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, Texas-based genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences, and filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson aims to bring back the extinct South Island Giant Moa through advanced de-extinction technology.
The initiative, announced Tuseday represents the first indigenous-coordinated de-extinction project and places Māori values and traditional ecological knowledge at the center of species restoration efforts.
The South Island Giant Moa, which stood up to 3.6 meters tall and weighed approximately 230 kilograms, went extinct about 600 years ago following Polynesian settlement. The flightless birds, comprising nine distinct species, played crucial ecological roles in New Zealand’s forests and grasslands for millions of years.
“Our earliest ancestors in this place lived alongside moa and our records, both archaeological and oral, contain knowledge about these birds and their environs,” said Kyle Davis, a Ngāi Tahu archaeologist who recently guided Colossal scientists to cave sites containing moa fossils.
The Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, established in 2011 at the University of Canterbury, will direct all aspects of the project. Professor Mike Stevens, the center’s director, noted that moa harvesting helped transform tropical East Polynesian explorers into subtropical South Polynesian Māori during the 14th and 15th centuries.
“The loss of moa, through over-harvesting and habitat modification, was a salutary lesson as to the New Zealand archipelago’s ‘fragile plenty,'” Stevens said.
Colossal Biosciences has committed significant investment to build biotechnology infrastructure in New Zealand and protect its unique biological heritage. The company will sequence and rebuild genomes for all nine moa species and develop conservation assessments for potential rewilding sites.
“This partnership represents a new model where indigenous leadership guides scientific endeavors,” said Ben Lamm, CEO and co-founder of Colossal Biosciences. “Traditional ecological knowledge and cultural context are essential to responsible de-extinction and species preservation efforts.”
The project will follow a phased approach beginning with expeditions to recover ancient DNA, followed by genomic analysis, gene identification, and development of reproductive technologies. All technology developed will be open-sourced and available for conservation purposes under Ngāi Tahu Research Centre direction.
Dr. Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief science officer, emphasized the scientific value of combining indigenous knowledge with genomic technology. “By studying ancient DNA, we can gain insights into how these keystone species shaped New Zealand’s unique biodiversity,” she said.
The partnership also includes plans for economic development through ecotourism ventures and educational programs that will create employment pathways for Māori researchers and educators.
Sir Peter Jackson, who helped bring the partners together, expressed enthusiasm about the mission. “With the recent resurrection of the dire wolf, Colossal has also made real the possibility of bringing back lost species,” Jackson said, referencing the company’s previous de-extinction work.
Paul Scofield, senior curator of natural history at Canterbury Museum and an adjunct professor at the University of Canterbury, called the initiative “an unprecedented opportunity to recreate lost taonga (treasured) moa species.”
Canterbury Museum holds the world’s largest collection of moa remains. The museum’s founder, Sir Julius von Haast, built this collection through extensive excavations and exchanges with overseas institutions.
The project has received financial support from Robert Nelsen, managing director of ARCH Venture Partners, who said supporting the initiative “just felt like one of those projects that needed the right collaboration to make happen.”
Beyond moa restoration, the partnership will establish a genetic repository of culturally significant plants and animals, creating what organizers call a new model for indigenous leadership in scientific innovation.
Research indicates moa populations were stable until human arrival, with extinction occurring within a century of Polynesian settlement. The rapid extinction represents one of the most well-documented examples of human impact on megafauna.
The collaboration extends longstanding Ngāi Tahu involvement in species protection and ecological restoration while building on the research center’s record of international partnerships.