In this oral presentation the number of bird species recorded at Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere are compared with the total number of bird species in New Zealand. Using the PLOVER model the findings record that there are very high species diversity, comparatively large proportions of the numbers of some species using New Zealand wetlands as over-wintering sites during their migrations, comparatively large numbers of some species which rely on the lake for particular life stages, and very large numbers of some species groups. A very diverse habitat underpins these values.