Kiwi in the Hunua Ranges

Update July 2017 by Ranger Mags;

The photo below is of kokako volunteers with one of the Hunua kiwi who were tracked and found recently to check their transmitters and condition.  Not all the original released birds were found (it's extremely difficult in the convoluted terrain of the Hunua Ranges) but those that were, have all put on weight.

About the project

Following the successful pest management programme in 2015, Auckland Council has brought kiwi back in to this forest.

Together with mana whenua Ngati Whanaunga and Ngati Paoa, the council was granted approval from the Department of Conservation to transfer 40 birds from the Coromandel Range over the 6 years from 2017 to establish a founding population of North Island brown kiwi.

As part of the preparations to ensure that these kiwi can flourish, Auckland Council organised free kiwi aversion training workshops for dogs, whose owners take them to areas of the Hunua Ranges where dogs are permitted.  All hunting dogs must complete the training and proof of kiwi aversion training must be supplied with all application for pig hunting permits.  

To keep updated with extra workshops phone the Hunua Project on 09 2618001 or email biodiversity@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

About Kiwi

(thanks to www.kiwisforkiwi.org for this content, you can donate to the cause now)

Two hundred years ago, millions of kiwi lived all through New Zealand's forests, and the night air echoed with their calls.

Today the birds are under siege. By 1998, the population had plummeted to fewer than 100,000 birds.  By 2008 that figure had fallen even further – to about 70,000.

Today, in places where kiwi are being managed, things are improving and many populations are stable or increasing. These places include Department of Conservation (DOC) kiwi sanctuaries, community-led projects (many of them sponsored by Kiwis for kiwi) and offshore island sanctuaries.

There is no room to relax, however. Many kiwi live outside managed areas and these populations are expected to decline. Even within the managed areas, uncontrolled dogs can kill many birds very quickly.

Hard statistics

A tiny proportion of kiwi eggs produce a kiwi adult.

• About 50% of all kiwi eggs fail to even hatch – sometimes because of natural bacteria, sometimes because the adult bird is disturbed by predators.
• Of eggs that do hatch, about 90% of chicks are dead within 6 months.
• 70% of these are killed by stoats or cats, and about 20% die of natural causes or at the jaws and claws of other predators.
• Only 10% of kiwi chicks make it to six months.
• Fewer than 5% reach adulthood.