Fight For Future

New Zealanders are very proud of our diverse and beautiful birds, but they need our help!

My name is Lia Chalmers. I am a 14-year-old student from New Zealand. I'm a passionate advocate for birds in and around my community and wish to become a conservationist when I'm older.

Unfortunately, numbers of birds such as the New Zealand Falcon (Kārearea) are beginning to decline. New Zealand Falcons are now near threatened. It is up to us to make sure these birds are protected for generations to come.

On November 11th-12th I will be going two full days (48 hours) without talking or eating any processed (packaged) foods in an effort to raise awareness for New Zealand birds, and to raise funds for our only bird of prey conservation centre, Wingspan. Wingspan is a charitable organisation and relies on memberships, donations and admission fees to keep them going. Unlike the Department of Conservation, Wingspan doesn't receive any government funding, so all support is hugely appreciated.

Wild birds of prey only eat real, natural food so I will do the same for two days. The reason I won't be talking is that animals don't have a voice to speak up with. They can't defend themselves from us. As such, I'm going 48 hours without talking to see what that's like, to bridge the gap between human and nature, to share in the experience of threatened wild birds, and to fight for their future.

New Zealand's birds mean a lot to me, and I couldn't stand to see them become extinct on our watch. Any donations received, whether they're $1 or $100, will be greatly appreciated, and are sure to go towards making a difference in the world. I am so thankful for anything you wish to give to help save our birds.