These endemic birds are very important to our ecology. Their work as pollinators is invaluable especially as pollinators for our large native trees. They will fly large distances, sometimes up to 10 km a day to find nectar from their favourite food sources.

They feed mainly on nectar from the flowers of kōwhai, puriri, rewarewa, kahikatea, pohutukawa, rātā and flax but will also happily feed from introduced species which may have helped them with their non threatened conservation status.