Kakapo "The Unnatural History of the Kakapo" won two major awards at the Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival. Two of the most significant documentaries, both made by NHNZ, are "Kakapo – Night Parrot" (1982) and "To Save the Kakapo" (1997). The BBC's Natural History Unit also featured the kakapo, including a sequence with Sir David Attenborough in "The Life of Birds". It was also one of the endangered animals Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine set out to find for the radio series and book "Last Chance to See". An updated version of the series has been produced for BBC TV, in
Kakapo "mauri" (Maori for "life-force") of the kakapo by breeding 150 adult females. The kakapo is associated with a rich tradition of Māori folklore and beliefs. The bird's irregular breeding cycle was understood to be associated with heavy fruiting or "masting" events of particular plant species such as the rimu, which led Māori to credit the bird with the ability to tell the future. Used to substantiate this claim were reported observations of these birds dropping the berries of the hinau and tawa trees (when they were in season) into secluded pools of water to preserve them as a food supply