Dear colleagues Ewan and I are pleased to announce a new article, describing a new fossil baleen whale, *Whakakai waipata*, from the Oligocene of New Zealand. Tsai, CH and Fordyce, RE. 2016. Archaic baleen whale from the Kokoamu Greensand: earbones distinguish a new late Oligocene mysticete (Cetacea: Mysticeti) from New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, doi: 10.1080/03036758.2016.1156552 Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03036758.2016.1156552?journalCode... or email Tsai: cheng-hsiu.tsai@otago.ac.nz or craniata@gmail.com Abstract: *†Whakakai waipata* is a new genus and species of Mysticeti from the Kokoamu Greensand (Chattian, Late Oligocene, 25–27 Ma) of ‘The Earthquakes’, North Otago. The holotype of *†Whakakai waipata* is a partial skull, periotics, tympanic bulla, vertebrae and scapula. The earbone morphology of *†Whakakai waipata *shows a unique combination of diagnostic features including: massive periotic; flange of posterior process and caudal tympanic process flooring stapedial muscle fossa; and an elongated stylomastoid fossa that invades the robust posterior process of the periotic. The tympanoperiotic features in *†Whakakai waipata* suggest a different acoustic niche from other Oligocene mysticetes, and by inference different feeding habits and habitat. Regards and all the best, Tsai -- 蔡政修（Cheng-Hsiu Tsai さい まさのぶ) JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow (JSPS: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science 日本學術振興會) Department of Geology and Palaeontology, National Museum of Nature and Science (Tsukuba Research Center) 4-1-1 Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan Email: cheng-hsiu.tsai@otago.ac.nz; craniata@gmail.com