Founded in 1940, it caters to a wide variety of people interested in the birds of the region, from professional ornithologists to casual birdwatchers.
Following preliminary discussions in 1938 and 1939, the Society was formally established at an inaugural general meeting chaired by Robert Falla at Canterbury Museum on 24 May 1940.
[2][3] The aims[4] of the OSNZ are to: Notornis is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal that focuses on bird-based research in New Zealand and the South Pacific.
The project to undertake the fourth update of the bird atlas was launched at the society's 2019 annual conference.
[6] The society holds an annual conference that provides an opportunity for amateur and professional ornithologists to meet and present recent research findings.