Limited Edition Hand Wash Range

LIMITED EDITION HAND WASH RANGE

Designed to be refilled, each bottle features one of three Underbirds illustrations by artist Pablo Kraus – Kakaruia, Tuturuatu, and Kakī. These lesser known and ‘nationally critical’ native birds have beautiful voices, yet they’re at risk of falling silent. It’s up to us Kiwis to make them a familiar sound in our environment once again.

SHOP NOW - 425ml Limited Edition Hand Wash

SHOP NOW - 850ml Limited Edition Hand Wash Refill

Kakaruia Chatham Island Black Robin

KAKARUIA (Chatham Island Black Robin)

Back from the brink – this sooty little nugget was almost completely wiped out, with a population of just 5, surviving thanks to a single mature female (Old Blue) and the efforts of some very dedicated humans. Every one of the roughly 250 Kakaruia alive in the Chathams today is her descendant. The Black Robin mates for life, nests in hollow trees, and isn't much of a flyer. Still very vulnerable to predators, Kakaruia breed and socialise in dense forest, foraging for bugs in trees and leaf litter.

You can vote for the Kakaruia in Forest & Bird’s New Zealand Bird of the Year 2021 (Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau) campaign.


Voting Closed
Kaki Black Stilt

KAKĪ (Black Stilt)

This chic, all-black stilt – of which there are just 100 left – has long red legs and a fine, pointed black bill. Its habitat lies in the central South Island – especially around lonely braided riverbeds and wetlands, where it nests close to food sources – the mayfly is a particular treat. Black stilts first breed when aged 2 or 3, in solitary, territorial pairs, defending their territories against other stilts. In spring, eggs (usually 4) are laid in vegetation, open banks, or small depressions. This quiet wader is at risk from flooding, introduced predators and hawks.

You can vote for the Kakī in Forest & Bird’s New Zealand Bird of the Year 2021 (Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau) campaign.


Voting Closed
Tuturuatu Shore Plover

TUTURUATU (Shore Plover)

This small, colourful beach lover is found on a few predator-free islands in the Chathams and mainland New Zealand. One of the world’s rarest shorebirds (~175 adults), its territorial call is a loud ringing, although conversations within pairs are low-key. While vulnerable to introduced pests on land, these plucky plovers are strong, long distance fliers – voyaging as far as 850km. They come home to breed monogamously and defend their nest, which they create under beachside plants, stones, or driftwood.

You can vote for the Tuturuatu in Forest & Bird’s New Zealand Bird of the Year 2021 (Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau) campaign.


Voting Closed

Proud to support Forest & Bird NZ

Forest & Bird is Aotearoa / New Zealand's leading independent conservation organisation. They work to defend nature – across our Land, Fresh water, Oceans, and Climate & Economy. This October, we’re asking New Zealanders to vote for their favourite Underbird in the Bird of the Year – Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau competition to raise awareness of the threats facing these incredible manu (birds).

Want to do more? Check out this online article about further ways you can help save native birds in New Zealand.

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Frequently asked questions

If you’d like to find out more about another topic or can’t find what you’re looking for here, please check out our full FAQ list.

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Where are these statistics from - it's shocking!
We agree! Our friends at Forest & Bird say that about 80% of New Zealand’s 168 native bird species are “in trouble”. A third of all native birds are in “serious trouble” and nearly half “in some trouble”. Only one in five species is doing ok. Every day, 72,000 native birds, chicks, and eggs are killed by introduced predators. We think our native birds are amazing and want to do what we can to turn these statistics around.
Who did the three bird illustrations?
Artist illustrator and our very own ecostore group CEO Pablo Kraus did our illustrations himself. Designing the three exclusive bird artworks for our bottles has been a real passion project for him.
Why have you chosen these Underbirds?
These three New Zealand native bird species are on DOC’s ‘nationally critical’ list. Being on this list means they face an immediate, high risk of extinction. We also chose them because they represent three New Zealand habitats also under stress: forests, freshwater wetlands, and coastlines. None of the three Underbirds has won Forest & Bird’s Bird of the Year before. And we believe each of these precious species deserves to have their story of ‘against the odds’ survival shared and celebrated – to encourage more efforts to protect them and their unique natural habits. So they’re with us for future generations.
Where can I buy the Limited Edition Underbirds Hand Wash?
Pak n Save, Countdown, New World, other specialty grocery stores, the ecostore flagship store in Freemans Bay and online.
I want to buy a specific bird, but your website won’t let me select it.
We’re sorry about this. A quirk of our site means that as all of the three variants are in our popular lemongrass fragrance, they’re all listed as the same product. Our packers will therefore select a bottle for you. We suggest trying your local supermarket or specialty grocery store, where you should be able to take home your favourite Underbird.
How many bottles do you expect to sell and what will be the total donation to Forest & Bird?
We’ve signed a partnership agreement with Forest & Bird to donate $12,000 (+GST). As we’re producing 24,000 Limited Edition bottles, that works out at 50c from each bottle going to Forest & Bird. We hope to sell every last one. But even if we don’t, we’ll top up the donation ourselves, so Forest & Bird won’t miss out.
How long will the Limited Edition be available?
We’re making 24,000 bottles of our Limited Edition Hand Wash for the whole of New Zealand. And when they’re gone, they’re gone.
Are the bottles recyclable?
Yes. The bottles are recycling symbol 2, which means they can be recycled in your normal kerbside recycling. But they’re also designed to be refilled again and again.
How can I recycle the pump?
Ideally we encourage people to refill and reuse their bottles. But if you do need to dispose of it, please put it into your local recycling collection programme, with the pump screwed on, to make it easier to recycle. Or send it back to ecostore for us to recycle.
Where can I refill my Limited Edition Hand Wash bottles?
If you’d like to keep using your Limited Edition bottle, you can refill it with ecostore hand wash in lemongrass or another of your other favourite fragrances, at one of our 90+ refill stations.