It breeds in burrows on remote offshore islands and otherwise ranges widely at sea.

Pterodroma inexpectata is endemic to New Zealand. It breeds on islands off Fiordland, the Solander Islands, Foveaux Strait islands, islands around Stewart Island (including Titi islands, Codfish, Big South Cape Islands, and islets in Port Pegasus) and the Snares Islands (Marchant and Higgins 1990, Heather and Robertson 1997). It once bred throughout the North and South Islands, and possibly the Chatham, Bounty, Antipodes and Auckland Islands (Marchant and Higgins 1990, Heather and Robertson 1997). There are c.10,000+ pairs on each of Big South Cape and Main Islands (Heather and Robertson 1997), and the Codfish population was estimated at 300,000-400,000 pairs in 1996 (Taylor 2000). It migrates to the north Pacific as far as the northern Gulf of Alaska and the southern half of the Bering Sea and in summer can range as far south as the pack ice (Ainley and Manolis 1979, Marchant and Higgins 1990, Heather and Robertson 1997, Ogi et al. 1999). 

Conservation Actions Underway
None is known.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Monitor suitable colonies to assess population trends. Complete pest plan to prevent and enable rapid responses to new species introductions. Eradicate Weka G. australis from Big Solander Island, and Weka and House Rat R. rattus from Big South Cape Island, on agreement with owners.