Napier National Aquarium of New Zealand's sole tuatara is getting new guardians.
As part of the aquarium's renewal of its licence to keep 35-year-old Alfie, the Department of Conservation is requiring iwi involvement.
Aquarium general manager Rachel Haydon said tuatara whakapapa to South Island iwi Ngāti Koata.
"For us it's just an exciting opportunity to learn from iwi, learn about their narratives of the tuatara, that we can include in our storytelling onsite and make it interesting for our visitors."