Pied stilts (Himantopus himantopus) or Poaka (Maori) are a black and white wader common in harbours and esturaries throughout New Zealand. A self-introduced species that arrived relatively recently (perhaps around 1800) from Australia, the pied stilt has flourished in its new home.

These stilts are widespread throughout the world’s warm and temperate regions and by the early 1990s there were around 30,000 birds throughout New Zealand.