The island was known to Māori as te kākahu-o-Tamatea (the cloak of Tamatea), as, according to oral tradition, it was the place where the explorer Tamatea spread his cloak out to dry after being drenched by the sea.[2] It was first charted by Captain James Cook in 1773, and was a base for sealers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In 2003, the last five kākāpō held on Maud island were transferred to Chalky Island. The group was composed of four male kākāpō and one female.[8]
Several kākāpō were translocated to Chalky Island in 2003 by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Kākāpō were held on the island for three years until stoat eradication on nearby Anchor Island could be completed.[9]
Eight female kākāpō were transferred from Chalky Island to Codfish Island / Whenua Hou in July 2004.[10] All kākāpō on Chalky island and Pearl Island were later translocated to Anchor Island from June to September 2005, after stoats were eradicated from Anchor Island.[11]
Male kākāpō were reintroduced to the island by the Kākāpō Recovery Team in 2010. Female kākāpō were later introduced in May 2020 to join the 16 males already there.[12]