Thousands of dead birds are washing up along the edges of a Waikato wetland as a disease spreads through populations.
Poor water quality has seen a deadly bacteria grow and infect birds, which become paralysed before drowning.
Almost two thousand birds have been found at Whangamarino wetland in the last month, following a slew of outbreaks in previous summers.
Fish & Game chief executive Corina Jordan spoke to Māni Dunlop