endangered. Notable amongst these will be the tuatara, the little spotted kiwi, a subspecies of the carnivorous Powelliphanta snail, and a range of threatened plants endemic to the Wellington Region. Seabirds Recent projects have included the successful translocations to the island of diving-petrels, fairy prions and fluttering shearwater chicks, with the progeny of several transferees later successfully fledging – the first to do so on Mana Island for many centuries. These species are an important part of the restoration of the island because of their nutrient inflows (free fertiliser) and the habitats their burrows provide for reptiles and invertebrates. The seabird translocation techniques perfected on Mana Island are being used with rare and endangered species elsewhere in New Zealand, such as the Chatham Island taiko, Chatham petrel and Hutton's shearwater. Gannets formerly nested on Mana Island. From 1998, after mice were eliminated, conservationists have attempted to restart a colony, using a false colony of birds made of concrete, and installing sound systems that make gannet sounds, in the hope that real ones will be attracted to nest there. A male gannet, nicknamed Nigel, arrived in 2015 and over the next two years courted one of the concrete decoys. A second male gannet, nicknamed Norman, resided on Mana Island during 2017. In January 2018, three gannets settled on the island. In February 2018, Nigel died. The same combination of techniques is showing good results in a similar project at Young Nicks Head, near Gisborne. Geology Mana Island is unusual compared to both Kapiti Island and the nearby mainland, in that it is topped by a plateau rather than rolling hills. The plateau slopes gently to the south-east, with deeply-incised valleys on the eastern half and cliffs on the north and west sides. There is no clear evidence to correlate the plateau with any equivalent feature on the mainland; continuity of features is unlikely owing to the earthquake faults that lie between the island and the mainland. It has been suggested that the plateau is the remains of a marine bench from which all overlying material has long since eroded. See also List of islands of New Zealand List of islands Desert island References External links Department of Conservation Mana island page Friends of Mana Island Global Restoration Network Uninhabited islands of New Zealand Islands of the Wellington Region Island restoration Nature reserves in New Zealand Wildlife sanctuaries of New Zealand Nature